There were numerous friars from the English province who worked in Italy and some were present at Padua, where Haymo of Faversham served as lector. They were among the pilgrims to the saint's tomb. Some of the friars who succeeded Haymo in the office of lectorat Padua had studied theology at Oxford and Cambridge. The writings of English theologians were accorded a place of honour in the Biblioteca Antoniana and this reflects the tradition of theological excellence pursued at Oxford and Cambridge. Devotion to St. Anthony took many forms in medieval England, including hagiographical, homiletic and liturgical texts.
