Martin of Tours

Lore & Background

His father was a senior officer (tribune) in the Roman military. His father was then allowed veteran status and was given land on which to retire at Ticinum (now Pavia), in northern Italy, where Martin grew up. At the age of 10, he attended the Christian church against the wishes of his parents and became a catechumen. As the son of a veteran officer, Martin at 15 was required to join a cavalry ala. It is likely that he joined the Equites catafractarii Ambianenses, a heavy cavalry unit listed in the Notitia Dignitatum. Martin's biographer, Sulpicius Severus, provided no dates in his chronology, so although he indicated that Martin served in the military 'for nearly two years after his baptism', it is difficult for historians to pin down the exact date of Martin's exit from military service. Regardless of the difficulties in chronology, Sulpicius reports that just before a battle in the Gallic provinces at Borbetomagus (now Worms, Germany), Martin determined that his switch of allegiance to a new commanding officer (away from the pagan Julian and to Christ), along with his reluctance to receive a salary from Julian just as he was about to retire, prohibited his taking the money and continuing to submit to the emperor's commands, telling him, 'I am the soldier of Christ: it is not lawful for me to fight.' He was charged with cowardice and jailed, but in response to the charge, he volunteered to go unarmed to the front of the troops. His superiors planned to take him up on the offer, but before they could, the invaders sued for peace, the battle never occurred, and Martin was released from military service.

Reader's Guide

Martin of Tours is significant as a key figure in the spread of monasticism and Christianity in Gaul during the late Roman Empire. His life, as recorded by the contemporary hagiographer Sulpicius Severus, became a model for later saints and a source of popular devotion. The account of his cutting his cloak for a beggar became an iconic image of charity. As bishop, he actively suppressed the remnants of Gallo-Roman religion, destroying pagan temples, altars, and sculptures. His shrine in Tours became an often-frequented stop for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, cementing his role in medieval pilgrimage culture. His legacy includes the monastery at Ligugé, which claims to be the oldest monastery known in western Europe, and his patronage of the former French Third Republic. The hagiography by Sulpicius Severus contains descriptions of supernatural events, such as interactions with the devil and various miracles: Martin casts out demons, heals a paralytic, and raises the dead. Other miracles are: turning back the flames from a house while Martin was burning down the Roman temple it adjoined; deflecting the path of a felled sacred pine; the healing power of a letter written by Martin.

Did You Know?

• He served in the Roman cavalry and left military service after declaring 'I am the soldier of Christ: it is not lawful for me to fight.'
• He established a hermitage at Ligugé, which later became Ligugé Abbey, claiming to be the oldest monastery in western Europe.
• His shrine in Tours became a frequent stop for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.