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Statue of Saint Martin cutting his cloak atwain. Chateau "Höchster Stadtschloß", Frankfurt.
Saint Martin of Tours (latin: Martinus), (born 316 or 317; died November 11, 397) was a native of Sabaria, Pannonia. His father had reached the rank of an important officer in the Roman army. Martin was named after Mars, the god of war, meaning Martin, the brave, the courageous. The family moved to Pavia in Italy. When he was 15, the son of an officer, he had to join army himself. He was stationed in Gaul and later became a monk in the region of Poitiers.
1 The Legend of the Cloak
While Martin was still a soldier he experienced the vision that became the most-repeated story about his life. He was at the gates of the city of Amiens with his soldiers when he met a scarcely dressed beggar. He impulsively cut his own military cloak in half and shared it with the beggar. That night he dreamed that Jesus Christ came to him and returned the half cloak Martin had shared with him. He heard Jesus say to the angels: "Here is Martin, the Roman soldier who is not baptised, he has clad me." When Martin woke his cloak was restored. The miraculous cloak was preserved as a relic, and entered the relic-collection of the Merovingian kings of the FranksCharlemagne or Karl der Grosse ( Charles the Great) in Frankfurt The Franks formed one of several west Germanic tribes who entered the late Roman Empire from Frisia as foederati and established a lasting realm in an area that covers part of today's France. The Latin word for "short cloak", cappella in Latin, was extended to the people charged with preserving the cloak of St. Martin, the cappellani or "chaplains" and from them was applied to the royal oratory that was not a regular church, a "chapel".
2 Conversion to Christianity
The dream had such an impact on Saint Martin that he was baptised the next day and became a Christian. He decided to leave the army and became a monk near the city of ToursTours is a commune of France, the prefecture (capital city) of the Indre-et-Loire departement on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orleans and the Atlantic coast. The Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines and for the perfec.
Martin worked for the conversion to ChristianityChristian cross and its many variations are widely recognized as an ancient Christian symbol. Christianity is an Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as described in the New Testament. Although Christians generally chara of the populace, making many preaching trips through western and central FranceThe French Republic or France ( French: Republique francaise or France is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents.. In the course of this work he became extremely popular, and in 371Events Martin of Tours becomes Bishop of Tours year approximate Baekje forces storm the Goguryeo capital in P'yongyang Births Valentinian II titular Roman emperor year approximate Deaths August 1 St Eusebius of Vercelli St Hilarion year approximate Lucife became bishopA bishop is an ordained person who holds a specific position of authority in any of a number of Christian churches. Bishops in the New Testament The bishop's role is typically called the " episcopacy", because the word "bishop" is derived ultimately from of ToursTours is a commune of France, the prefecture (capital city) of the Indre-et-Loire departement on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orleans and the Atlantic coast. The Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines and for the perfec; he refused to live in the city and instead founded a monastery for his residence a short distance outside the walls. The monastery, known in Latin as the 'Larger Monastery' or Maius monasterium became known as Marmoutier in later French.
