St. Martin of Tours

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Bishop; born at Sabaria (today Steinamanger in German, or Szombathely in Hungarian), Pannonia (Hungary), about 316; died at Candes, Touraine, most probably in 397. In his early years, when hisfather, a military tribune, was transferred to Pavia inItaly, Martin accompanied him thither, and when he reached adolescence was, in accordance with the recruitinglaws enrolled in the Roman army. Touched by grace at an early age, he was from the first attracted towardsChristianity, which had been in favour in the camps since the conversion ofEmperor Constantine. His regiment was soon sent to Amiens inGaul, and this town became the scene of the celebrated legend of the cloak. At the gates of the city, one very cold day, Martin met a shivering and half-naked beggar. Moved with compassion, he divided his coat into two parts and gave one to the poor man. The part kept by himself became the famousrelic preserved in the oratory of theFrankish kings under the name of "St. Martin's cloak". Martin, who was still only acatechumen, soon receivedbaptism, and was a little later finally freed from military service at Worms on the Rhine. As soon as he was free, he hastened to set out to Poitiers to enrol himself among the disciples of St. Hilary, the wise andpiousbishop whose reputation as atheologian was already passing beyond the frontiers of Gaul. Desiring, however, to see hisparents again, he returned toLombardy across the Alps. The inhabitants of this region, infested withArianism, were bitterly hostile towardsCatholicism, so that Martin, who did not conceal hisfaith, was very badly treated by order of BishopAuxentius of Milan, the leader of thehereticalsect inItaly. Martin was very desirous of returning toGaul, but, learning that theArians troubled that country also and had even succeeded in exiling Hilary to the Orient, he decided to seek shelter on the island of Gallinaria (now Isola d'Albenga) in the middle of the Tyrrhenian Sea.

As soon as Martin learned that an imperialdecree had authorized Hilary to return toGaul, he hastened to the side of his chosen master atPoitiers in 361, and obtained permission from him to embrace at some distance from there in a deserted region (now called Ligugé) the solitary life that he had adopted in Gallinaria. His example was soon followed, and a great number ofmonks gathered around him. Thus was formed in this GallicThebaid a real laura, from which later developed the celebratedBenedictine Abbey of Ligugé. Martin remained about ten years in this solitude, but often left it to preach the Gospel in the central and western parts of Gaul, where the rural inhabitants were still plunged in the darkness ofidolatry and given up to all sorts of grosssuperstitions. The memory of these apostolic journeyings survives to our day in the numerous local legends of which Martin is the hero and which indicate roughly the routes that he followed. When St. Lidorius, secondBishop ofTours, died in 371 or 372, theclergy of that city desired to replace him by the famoushermit of Ligugé. But, as Martin remained deaf to theprayers of the deputies who brought him this message, it wasnecessary to resort to a ruse to overcome his resistance. A certain Rusticius, a rich citizen ofTours, went and begged him to come to his wife, who was in the last extremity, and to prepare her for death. Without any suspicions, Martin followed him in all haste, but hardly had he entered the city when, in spite of the opposition of a few ecclesiastical dignitaries, popular acclamation constrained him to becomeBishop of theChurch ofTours.

Consecrated on 4 July, Martin brought to the accomplishment of theduties of his new ministry all the energy and the activity of which he had already given so manyproofs. He did not, however, change his way of life: fleeing from the distractions of the large city, he settled himself in a small cell at a short distance fromTours, beyond the Loire. Some otherhermits joined him there, and thus was gradually formed a newmonastery, which surpassed that of Ligugé, as is indicated by the name, Marmoutier (Majus Monasterium), which it has kept to our own day. Thus, to an untiringzeal Martin added the greatest simplicity, and it is this which explains how his pastoral administration so admirably succeeded in sowingChristianity throughout Touraine. Nor was it a rare occurrence for him to leave hisdiocese when he thought that his appearance in some distant locality might produce some good. He even went several times toTrier, where the emperors had established their residence, to plead the interests of theChurch or to ask pardon for some condemnedperson. His role in the matter of the Priscillianists and Ithacians was especially remarkable. Against Priscillian, the Spanish heresiarch, and his partisans, who had been justly condemned by the Council of Saragossa, furious charges were brought before Emperor Maximus by someorthodoxbishops ofSpain, led by Bishop Ithacius. Martin hurried toTrier, not indeed to defend theGnostic andManichaean doctrines of Priscillian, but to remove him from the secularjurisdiction of the emperor. Maximus at first acceded to his entreaty, but, when Martin had departed, yielded to the solicitations of Ithacius and ordered Priscillian and his followers to be beheaded. Deeply grieved, Martin refused to communicate with Ithacius. However, when he went again toTrier a little later to ask pardon for two rebels, Narses and Leucadius, Maximus would only promise it to him on condition that he would make his peace with Ithaeius. To save the lives of his clients, he consented to this reconciliation, but afterwards reproached himself bitterly for this act of weakness.

After a last visit toRome, Martin went to Candes, one of the religious centres created by him in hisdiocese, when he was attacked by the malady which ended his life. Ordering himself to be carried into the presbytery of the church, he died there in 400 (according to some authorities, more probably in 397) at the age of about 81, evincing until the last that exemplary spirit ofhumility andmortification which he had ever shown. TheChurch ofFrance has always considered Martin one of her greatestsaints, and hagiographers have recorded a great number ofmiracles due to his intercession while he was living and after his death. His cult was very popular throughout theMiddle Ages, a multitude ofchurches andchapels were dedicated to him, and a great number of places have been called by his name. His body, taken toTours, was enclosed in a stone sarcophagus, above which his successors, St. Britius andSt. Perpetuus, built first a simplechapel, and later abasilica (470). St. Euphronius,Bishop ofAutun and a friend ofSt. Perpetuus, sent a sculptured tablet of marble to cover thetomb. A larger basilica was constructed in 1014 which was burned down in 1230 to be rebuilt soon on a still larger scale This sanctuary was the centre of great nationalpilgrimages until 1562, the fatal year when theProtestants sacked it from top to bottom, destroying the sepulchre and therelics of the great wonder-worker, the object of theirhatred. The ill-fated collegiate church was restored by its canons, but a new and more terrible misfortune awaited it. Therevolutionary hammer of 1793 was to subject it to a last devastation. It was entirely demolished with the exception of the two towers which are still standing and, so that its reconstruction might be impossible, theatheistic municipality caused two streets to be opened up on its site. In December, 1860, skilfully executed excavations located the site of St. Martin'stomb, of which some fragments were discovered. These precious remains are at present sheltered in abasilica built by Mgr Meignan,Archbishop ofTours which is unfortunately of very small dimensions and recalls only faintly the ancient and magnificentcloister of St. Martin. On 11 November each year the feast of St. Martin is solemnly celebrated in this church in the presence of a large number of the faithful ofTours and other cities and villages of thediocese.

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