Capital University is home to many traditions and superstitions. Many students refuse to walk out the Memorial Gateway until graduation, and others swear that stepping on the university seal in front of Blackmore Library will result in a failed exam.
Yet, one of the most well-known traditions on campus involves the statue of St. Anthony outside Battelle Hall. It is said that rubbing the saint’s head will bring students good luck and academic success. Some students also believe that rubbing the loaf of bread held by St. Anthony will return lost items.
While many students regard this tradition apathetically, some still hold on to the belief.
“If you have not done anything wrong, rubbing St. Anthony’s head should bring good luck,” junior Michael Gugel-Bryant said.
St. Anthony himself was born in 1195 in Lisbon, Portugal to a wealthy family. He was known throughout his life for his works on theology and his passionate sermons. He is regarded as one of the doctors of the church in the Catholic tradition, a designation only given to the most influential of theologians. St. Anthony is also revered as the patron saint of lost things and people.
The statue was brought to Capital’s campus after St. Anthony’s hospital, the statue’s original home, was sold to The Ohio State University in 1991. St Anthony’s was originally operated by the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis for over 70 years, and today the same location features the University Hospital East Side, a part of The Ohio State University hospital system.
The statue was donated to the university because a former Capital fine arts professor, Gary Ross, originally casted the statue in 1987. Ross is also the creator of the university seal. Works by Ross can be found in Cleveland, on the campus of Wittenberg University, and throughout downtown Columbus.
Ross was a professor of sculpture at Capital for over 40 years and also taught at the Columbus College of Art and Design and at many Columbus City Schools.
