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Friday, June 09, 2006

St. Martin of Tours



I saw a book while browsing at Amazon today about St. Martin of Tours. Martin (316-397) was stationed in Gaul (modern Amiens, France), a member of a Roman cavalry unit. He's most well know for The Legend of the Cloak ...

While Martin was still a soldier at Amiens 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 scantily dressed beggar. He impulsively cut his own military cloak in half and shared it with the beggar. That night he dreamed of Jesus wearing the half-cloak Martin had given away. He heard Jesus say to the angels: "Here is Martin, the Roman soldier who is not baptised; he has clad me." (Sulpicius, ch 2). In a later embellishment, when Martin woke his cloak was restored, and the miraculous cloak was preserved among the relic collection of the Merovingian kings of the Franks.

He eventually left the military, became a disciple of Hilary of Poitiers, and after establishing a monastery abbey, traveling and preaching throughout Gaul, was made bishop of Tours

Here's the book ... Martin of Tours: Soldier, Bishop, Saint by Regine Pernoud, Michael J. Miller (Translator)

2 Comments:

Blogger PV said...

Lovely post.:-).

4:35 AM  
Blogger crystal said...

Hi Paula - thanks :-)

10:42 AM  

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