Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop & Confessor
S. Martini Episcopi et Confessoris
Saint Martin of Tours, soldier turned monk and bishop, is one of the most beloved saints of the West, remembered for his charity to the poor, his apostolic labours in Gaul, and his holiness of life.
Saint Martin was born about the year 316 in Pannonia, in the region of modern Hungary, the son of a soldier, and was raised in Italy. Drawn from his youth toward the faith, he became a catechumen while still a boy. As the son of a veteran he was obliged to serve in the Roman army, and it was during his soldiering, in the city of Amiens in Gaul, that there occurred the act for which he is most remembered.
The cloak and the calling
At the gate of Amiens, on a bitter winter’s day, Saint Martin — then still a catechumen and a soldier — met a beggar, half naked and shivering with cold, whom none would help. Having nothing else to give, he drew his sword, divided his military cloak in two, and gave half to the poor man. In the night that followed, it is piously related, he saw in a dream our Lord clothed in that very half of the cloak, saying that Martin, yet unbaptised, had clothed him. Soon after, he was baptised; and in time he left the army to give himself wholly to the service of God.
Becoming a disciple of the great Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Saint Martin embraced the monastic life and founded what is reckoned among the earliest monasteries of Gaul. So great was the repute of his holiness that the people of Tours acclaimed him their bishop, and he was consecrated, it is said, against his own wish and humility. As bishop he continued to live as a monk, plain and poor, while labouring tirelessly for the conversion of the country people, who in many parts still followed the old idolatry. He went through the land preaching, founding churches and monasteries, and bringing multitudes to the faith, so that he is honoured as one of the great apostles of Gaul.
His holy death
After long years of labour, Saint Martin died at Candes, in his diocese, on the eighth of November, 397, and was buried at Tours on the eleventh, the day on which his feast is kept. His tomb at Tours became one of the most famous shrines of the West, a place of pilgrimage for centuries, and his name was given to countless churches throughout Christendom. He was among the first confessors — saints who were not martyrs — to be venerated with a public feast in the Western Church.
The collect of his feast confesses that we cannot stand by any strength of our own, and prays that through the intercession of blessed Martin, Confessor and Bishop, we may be defended against all adversity. In him the Church honours a soldier of Christ, a father of monks, an apostle of the poor, and a shepherd whose charity has made his memory dear to the faithful in every age.
The Collect
O God, who seest that we cannot stand by any strength of our own: mercifully grant that, by the intercession of blessed Martin thy Confessor and Bishop, we may be defended against all adversities.
Deus, qui cónspicis, quia ex nulla nostra virtúte subsístimus: concéde propítius; ut, intercessióne beáti Martíni Confessóris tui atque Pontíficis, contra ómnia advérsa muniámur.
Patronage
He is the patron of soldiers, of the poor, and of beggars, and is invoked widely throughout the Church; countless churches and places bear his name.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar his memorial is observed on the same day, 11 November.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saint Martin of Tours?
His feast is kept on 11 November in the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal, as a Third Class feast, and likewise on 11 November in the modern calendar, where it is observed as a memorial. The date marks the day of his burial at Tours.
Who was Saint Martin of Tours?
He was a soldier of the Roman army who became a monk and then Bishop of Tours in Gaul (about 316–397). A disciple of Saint Hilary, he founded one of the earliest monasteries of Gaul and laboured tirelessly for the conversion of the country people. He is one of the most beloved saints of the West and among the first confessors honoured with a public feast.
What is the story of Saint Martin and the cloak?
While still a soldier and a catechumen, Saint Martin met a half-naked beggar at the gate of Amiens on a cold winter’s day. Having nothing else to give, he cut his military cloak in two and gave half to the poor man. That night, it is related, he saw our Lord wearing the half-cloak, declaring that Martin had clothed him. Soon after, Martin was baptised. The act has become the emblem of his charity.
See where this feast falls in the Church’s year on the liturgical calendar, or find a Traditional Latin Mass near you.
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