Martin of Tours

Saint Martin of Tours

Also known as
• Martin the Merciful
• The Glory of Gaul

Memorial
 11 November

   

Profile

Today’s Saint has more churches named in his honor, worldwide, than any other saint excluding the Blessed Mother.  With all that said, Martin of Tours was the first non-martyr to be revered as a saint.   He is a veteran so it is also appropriate that his feast is on Veteran’s Day.  

 

Martin, like his father, was a Roman soldier, an officer assigned to garrison duty in Gaul; modern day France.

 

The big story goes that while on horseback he encountered a naked beggar. Having nothing to give but the clothes on his back, Martin cut his heavy officer’s cloak in half, and gave it to the beggar.    Later he had a vision of Christ wearing the half of the cloak he gave the beggar.

 

Due to his faith Martin became a pacifist.   In the Roman Army this was a big problem.  He was jailed and was about to be sent to the front line as punishment for cowardice.    Whether it was the arrayed Roman Army or the Holy Spirit the enemy sued for peace and no battle ensued.     With his commitment up Martin left the military.  

 

Martin became a student of St. Hilary in 361, and then became a hermit.   He had a big reputation for holiness which attracted other monks to his circle.

 

Preached and evangelized through the Gallic countryside this was a tough task at the time because many locals held strongly to the old beliefs, and tried to intimidate Martin by dressing as the old Roman gods and appearing to him at night.   The guy who dressed as Morpheus was particularly disturbing as his snoring paradoxically kept Martin awake all night.   No matter, Martin destroyed old temples, built churches on the same land, and continued to win converts.

 

When the bishop of Tours, France died in 371, Martin was the immediate choice to replace him. Martin declined, citing unworthiness.    The Christian community got together and had a wealthy citizen of Tours, claim that his wife was ill asking for Martin.   Tricked by this ruse, Martin went to the city where he was declared bishop by popular acclamation, and then consecrated on 4 July 372.

 

He served as a real hands off bishop, he lived in a hermit’s cell near Tours and rarely left his monastery.   Sometimes he went to plead with the emperor for his city, his church, or his parishioners.    Once when he went to ask for lenience for a condemned prisoner, an angel woke the emperor to tell him that Martin was waiting to see him; the prisoner was reprieved.

 

Martin himself was given to visions, but even his contemporaries sometimes ascribed them to his habit of lengthy fasts, he starved himself until he saw things.   

 

His relics were in the basilica of Tours, a scene of pilgrimages and miracles, until 1562 when the cathedral and relics were destroyed by militant Protestants during the “Glorious Reformation.”   For some reason the Hugenots had a real jones against Martin.   And the Devil laughs.  

 

Born

•          c.316 in modern Hungary

Died

•          8 November 397 Tours, France of natural causes. 

 

 

Patronage

•          against alcoholism

•          against impoverishment

•          against poverty

•          beggars

•          cavalry

•          equestrians

•          geese

•          horse men

•          horses

•          hotel-keepers

•          innkeepers

•          Pontifical Swiss Guards

•          quartermasters

•          reformed alcoholics

•          riders

•          soldiers

•          tailors

•          vintners

•          wine growers

•          wine makers

Representation

•          globe of fire

•          goose

•          man on horseback sharing his cloak with beggar

•          man cutting cloak in half

•          man holding aloft a sword and cloak