Martin of Tours
Soldier turned monk and bishop of Tours. Pioneer of Western monasticism; subject of Sulpicius Severus's Vita Martini.
Why Martin matters
Martin was a Roman soldier who, while still a catechumen, cut his cloak in half to give to a beggar — and then dreamed Christ wearing the half he gave away. He left the army, became a monk under Hilary of Poitiers, and ended up bishop of Tours against his will. He founded the first major monastery in Gaul, evangelised the rural countryside (the word 'pagan' comes from this period — paganus meant villager, the people not yet Christianised), and became the first non-martyr to be venerated as a saint in the West. Sulpicius Severus wrote his Life and it became the template for medieval saints' biographies for the next thousand years.
Chain to Jesus
Loading…
Common questions
- Who was Martin of Tours?
- Martin of Tours (316–397) — Soldier turned monk and bishop of Tours. Pioneer of Western monasticism; subject of Sulpicius Severus's Vita Martini.
- Who taught Martin of Tours?
- Hilary of Poitiers.
Sources for biography
- Sulpicius Severus, Vita Martini primary
- Sulpicius Severus, Dialogi primary
- Gregory of Tours, Hist. Franc. 1.36-48 primary
documented connections(1)
- knew of (incoming) Sulpicius SeverusSulpicius personally visited Martin and wrote his Vita.Sulpicius Severus, Vita Martini 25-27
tradition connections(1)
- taught by Hilary of PoitiersHilary received Martin and ordained him exorcist; Martin founded Ligugé under Hilary's patronage. Sole source is Sulpicius Severus' Vita Martini, a hagiography written ~397 with strong panegyric framing.Sulpicius Severus, Vita Martini 5-7