St. Martin of Tours

St. Martin of Tours was born around 316 in Savaria, in the Roman province of Pannonia (modern Szombathely, Hungary), the son of a Roman military officer. Raised in Pavia, Italy, he became a catechumen as a boy against his parents' wishes and, as the son of a veteran, was conscripted into the Roman cavalry. The most famous episode of his life dates from his soldiering years at Amiens in Gaul: meeting a shivering beggar at the city gate, Martin cut his military cloak in two with his sword and gave half to the poor man. According to his biographer Sulpicius Severus, Christ appeared to him that night wearing the half-cloak, and Martin soon received baptism. Convinced that his faith was incompatible with further military service, Martin eventually left the army, reportedly telling the emperor, 'I am a soldier of Christ; it is not lawful for me to fight.' He became a disciple of St. Hilary of Poitiers and around 361 founded at Ligugé what is regarded as the first monastery in Gaul, living there as a monk and evangelist. In 371 the people of Tours acclaimed him their bishop—tradition relates that he hid among geese to avoid the office. As bishop he remained a monk at heart, founding the great abbey of Marmoutier outside the city and traveling tirelessly through the countryside to preach the Gospel to the rural pagan population, an apostolate that earned him renown as an apostle of Gaul. He also showed notable mercy in an age of harshness, protesting the execution of the heretic Priscillian. Martin died at Candes on November 8, 397, and was buried at Tours on November 11, the date of his feast. One of the first non-martyrs to receive widespread public veneration, he became one of medieval Europe's most beloved saints; his tomb in the Basilica of Saint-Martin at Tours was among the great pilgrimage destinations of Christendom and still draws pilgrims today. He is honored as a patron of soldiers, of France, and of beggars, and his feast, Martinmas, remains a folk festival in much of Europe.