Martin of Tours
Martin of Tours This article is about the French saint. For the Caribbean minority faith. island, see Saint Martin. For other uses, see Saint Martin As the son of a veteran officer, Martin at fifteen was re- (disambiguation). quired to join a cavalry ala. Around 334, he was sta- tioned at Ambianensium civitas or Samarobriva in Gaul Martin of Tours (Latin: Sanctus Martinus Turonensis; (now Amiens, France).[2] It is likely that he joined the 316 – 8 November 397) was Bishop of Tours, whose Equites catafractarii Ambianenses, a heavy cavalry unit shrine in France became a famous stopping-point for listed in the Notitia Dignitatum. His unit was mostly cer- pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. emonial and did not face much combat.[3] Around his name much legendary material accrued, and he has become one of the most familiar and recognis- able Christian saints. As he was born in what is now Szombathely, Hungary, spent much of his childhood in Pavia, Italy, and lived most of his adult life in France, he is considered a spiritual bridge across Europe.[1] His life was recorded by a contemporary, the hagiographer Sulpicius Severus. Some of the ac- counts of his travels may have been interpolated into his vita to validate early sites of his cult. He is best known for the account of his using his military sword to cut his cloak in two, to give half to a beggar clad only in rags in the depth of winter. Conscripted as a soldier into the Roman army, he found the duty incompatible with the Christian faith he had adopted and became an early conscientious objector.
[Show full text]