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149-455: Martin of Tours (died 397) was a Roman soldier who was baptized as an adult and became a bishop in Gaul . He is best known for the legend whereby he cut his cloak in half with his sword to give half to a beggar who was dressed in only rags in the depth of winter. That night Martin had a vision of Jesus Christ wearing the half-cloak. In his study Medieval English Martinmesse: The Archaeology of

298-559: A Chrismon tree , lighting a Christingle , as well as other ways of preparing for Christmas, such as setting up Christmas decorations , a custom that is sometimes done liturgically through a hanging of the greens ceremony. The analogue of Advent in Eastern Christianity is called the Nativity Fast , but it differs in meaning, length, and observances, and does not begin the liturgical church year as it does in

447-695: A fireworks show on Saint Martin's Street. Goose meat dishes are also eaten during the holiday. The biggest event in Slovenia is the St. Martin's Day celebration in Maribor which marks the symbolic winding up of all the wine growers' endeavours. There is the ceremonial "christening" of the new wine, and the arrival of the Wine Queen. The square Trg Leona Štuklja is filled with musicians and stalls offering autumn produce and delicacies. In some parts of Ireland , on

596-538: A Forgotten Festival , Martin Walsh suggests that 'Martinmas' had roots in a pre-Christian festival marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter. In the ancient Roman world , 10 November was reckoned as the beginning of winter, while among the Insular Celtic peoples , it was marked by the 1 November festival of Samhain / Calan Gaeaf . Traditionally, in many parts of Europe, St Martin's Day marked

745-615: A bonfire. St Martin's Day ( Mortensdag ), November 11, and St Martin's Eve ( Mortensaften ), November 10, was an early autumn feast in Denmark. Eating St Martin's goose ( mortensgås ) St Martin's Eve was a well-known custom in Denmark. The oldest known Danish source is from 1616. Today, the goose is often replaced by duck. St Martin's Day or St Martin's Eve ( Mårtensafton ) was an important medieval autumn feast in Sweden. In early November, geese are ready for slaughter, and on St Martin's Eve it

894-599: A harsh winter will follow. Today, 11 November is Remembrance Day . A widespread custom in Germany is to light bonfires , called Martinsfeuer , on St. Martin's Eve. In recent years, the processions that accompany those fires have been spread over almost a fortnight before Martinmas ( Martinstag ). At one time, the Rhine River valley would be lined with fires on the eve of Martinmas. In the Rhineland , St. Martin's Day

1043-483: A local light alcoholic beverage called água-pé (literally "foot water", made by adding water to the pomace left after the juice is pressed out of the grapes for wine – traditionally by stomping on them in vats with bare feet, and letting it ferment for several days), or the stronger jeropiga (a sweet liquor obtained in a very similar fashion, with aguardente added to the water). Água-pé , though no longer available for sale in supermarkets and similar outlets (it

1192-646: A magnificent new reliquary donated by Charles VII of France and Agnes Sorel . During the French Wars of Religion , the basilica was sacked by the Protestant Huguenots in 1562. It was disestablished during the French Revolution . It was deconsecrated, used as a stable, then utterly demolished. Its dressed stones were sold in 1802 after two streets were built across the site, to ensure the abbey would not be reconstructed. While Martin

1341-410: A man dressed as St. Martin rides on a horse in front of the procession. The children sing songs about St. Martin and about their lanterns. The food traditionally eaten on the day is goose , a rich bird. According to legend, Martin was reluctant to become bishop, which is why he hid in a stable filled with geese. The noise made by the geese betrayed his location to the people who were looking for him. In

1490-534: A national pilgrimage to Tours that attracted people from all of France. The devotion to St. Martin was amplified in the dioceses of France, where special prayers were offered to the patron saint. When the armistice was signed on Saint Martin's Day, 11 November 1918, the French people saw it was a sign of his intercession in the affairs of France. He is the patron saint of beggars (because of his sharing his cloak), wool-weavers and tailors (also because of his cloak), he

1639-423: A new commanding officer (away from antichristian Julian and to Christ), along with reluctance to receive Julian's pay just as Martin was retiring, prohibited his taking the money and continuing to submit to the authority of the former now, 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

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1788-413: A pen of geese whose cackling gave him away. Once a key medieval autumn feast, a custom of eating goose on the day spread to Sweden from France. It was primarily observed by the craftsmen and noblemen of the towns. In the peasant community, not everyone could afford this, so many ate duck or hen instead. In winegrowing regions of Europe, the first wine was ready around the time of Martinmas. Although there

1937-629: A popular ritual, even in Protestant areas of Germany and the Netherlands, although most Protestant churches no longer officially recognize Saints . In Portugal , where the saint's day is celebrated across the country, it is common for families and friends to gather around the fire in reunions called magustos , where they typically eat roasted chestnuts and drink wine , jeropiga (a drink made of grape must and aguardente ) and aguapé (a sort of weak and watered-down wine). According to

2086-484: A provisional government of national defense was established, and France's Third Republic was proclaimed. Paris was evacuated due to the advancing enemy and for a brief time (September–December 1870), Tours became the effective capital of France. During the French Third Republic, he was seen as a patron saint of France. St Martin was promoted by the clerical right as the protector of the nation against

2235-706: A reign of justice and peace. Alternatively, they symbolise the four stages of human history; creation, the Incarnation, the redemption of sins, and the Last Judgment . In Orthodox churches there are sometimes wreaths with six candles, in line with the six-week duration of the Nativity Fast/Advent. In Sweden, white candles, symbol of festivity and purity, are used in celebrating Saint Lucy's Day , 13 December, which always falls within Advent. In

2384-424: A short distance upstream from Tours on the opposite shore of the river Loire . Martin introduced a rudimentary parish system in his diocese. Once a year, the bishop visited each of his parishes, traveling on foot, or by donkey or boat. He continued to set up monastic communities, and extended the influence of his episcopate from Touraine to such distant points as Chartres, Paris, Autun, and Vienne. In one instance,

2533-493: A sunny break to the chilly weather on Saint Martin's Day (11 November) is called Verão de São Martinho (Saint Martin's Summer, veranillo de san Martín in Spanish) in honor of the cloak legend. In Malta on the night of the eve of Saint Martin's day children leave an empty bag next to the bed. This bag is found full of fruit on the next day. Advent Advent is a season observed in most Christian denominations as

2682-569: A threefold coming of Christ: firstly in the Incarnation at Bethlehem , then in a perpetual sacramental presence in the Eucharist , and thirdly at his Second Coming and final judgement . Furthermore, Advent is a time to focus on his present coming to mankind in the Word and Sacraments. It is not known when the period of preparation for Christmas that is now called Advent began, though it

2831-596: A time of waiting and preparation for both the celebration of Jesus's birth at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming . It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, often referred to as Advent Sunday. Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christianity . The name comes from Latin adventus ('coming; arrival'), translating the Greek parousia from

2980-520: A traditional menu with goose and Glühwein (a mulled red wine). St Paul, Minnesota celebrates with a traditional lantern procession around Rice Park . The evening includes German treats and traditions that highlight the season of giving. In Dayton, Ohio the Dayton Liederkranz-Turner organization hosts a St Martin's Family Celebration on the weekend before with an evening lantern parade to the singing of St Martin's carols, followed by

3129-665: A wedge between the Church and the Republic. By 1905, the influence of Rene Waldeck-Rousseau and Emile Combes , combined with deteriorating relations with the Vatican , led to the separation of church and state. St. Martin's popularity was renewed during the First World War. Anticlericalism declined, and priests served in the French forces as chaplains. More than 5,000 of them died in the war. In 1916, Assumptionists organized

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3278-430: A week from the day after Saint Martin's Day (11 November). In the 6th century, local councils enjoined fasting on all days except Saturdays and Sundays from Saint Martin's Day to Epiphany (the feast of baptism), a period of 56 days, but of 40 days fasting, like the fast of Lent. It was therefore called Quadragesima Sancti Martini (Saint Martin's Lent). This period of fasting was later shortened and called "Advent" by

3427-582: Is Martinshörnchen , a pastry shaped in the form of a croissant , which recalls both the hooves of St. Martin's horse and, by being the half of a pretzel , the parting of his mantle. In some areas, these pastries are instead shaped like men ( Stutenkerl or Weckmänner). St. Martin's Day is also celebrated in German Lorraine and Alsace , which border the Rhineland and are now part of France. Children receive gifts and sweets. In Alsace, in particular

3576-519: Is St. Martin's Day, we'll eat chestnuts, we'll taste the wine.) St Martin's Day is widely celebrated in Galicia . It is the traditional day for slaughtering fattened pigs for the winter. This tradition has given way to the popular saying " A cada cerdo le llega su San Martín from Galician A cada porquiño chégalle o seu San Martiño ("Every pig gets its St Martin"). The phrase is used to indicate that wrongdoers eventually get their comeuppance. In Moaña

3725-608: Is a closely similar painting by Peeter Baltens , which can be seen here . Simone Martini (XIV century) represented Saint Martin's life in lots of frescoes in a chapel of the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi in Assisi . Martin of Tours Martin of Tours ( Latin : Martinus Turonensis ; 316/336 – 8 November 397), also known as Martin the Merciful , was the third bishop of Tours . He has become one of

3874-777: Is a growing interest in and acceptance, by some Christian denominations of blue as an alternative liturgical colour for Advent, a custom traced to the usage of the Church of Sweden (Lutheran) and the Mozarabic Rite , which dates from the 8th century. The Lutheran Book of Worship lists blue as the preferred colour for Advent, while the Methodist Book of Worship and the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship identify purple or blue as appropriate for Advent. Proponents of this new liturgical trend argue that purple

4023-443: Is also an ancient symbol signifying several things; first of all, the crown symbolises victory, in addition to its round form evoking the sun and its return each year. The number four represents the four Sundays of Advent, and the green twigs are a sign of life and hope. The fir tree is a symbol of strength and laurel a symbol of victory over sin and suffering. The latter two, with the holly, do not lose their leaves, and thus represent

4172-471: Is also quite popular because of the usual good weather period that occurs in Portugal in this time of year, called Verão de São Martinho (St. Martin's Summer). It is frequently tied to the legend since Portuguese versions of St. Martin's legend usually replace the snowstorm with rain (because snow is not frequent in most parts of Portugal, while rain is common at that time of the year) and have Jesus bringing

4321-487: Is also the patron saint of the US Army Quartermaster Corps (also because of sharing his cloak), geese (some say because they gave his hiding place away when he tried to avoid being chosen as bishop, others because their migration coincides with his feast), vintners and innkeepers (because his feast falls just after the late grape harvest), and France. He was proclaimed patron of Italian volunteering by

4470-646: Is best known for the account of his using his sword to cut his cloak in two, to give half to a beggar clad only in rags in the depth of winter. His shrine in Tours became a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. His cult was revived in French nationalism during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/1, and as a consequence he was seen as a patron saint of France during

4619-411: Is celebrated in the village of Baħrija on the outskirts of Rabat , including a procession led by the statue of Saint Martin. There is also a fair, and a show for local animals. Cooking chestnuts on the open fire was one of the main attractions. San Anton School , a private school on the island, organises a walk to and from a cave especially associated with Martin in remembrance of the day. This period

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4768-410: Is celebrated mainly in the city of Poznań where its citizens buy and eat considerable amounts of croissants filled with almond paste with white poppy seeds, the rogal świętomarciński or St. Martin's Croissants. Legend has it that this centuries-old tradition commemorates a Poznań baker's dream which had the saint entering the city on a white horse that lost its golden horseshoe. The next morning,

4917-472: Is credited with introducing the Chenin blanc grape, from which most of the white wine of western Touraine and Anjou is made. Bonfires are lit on St Martin's Eve in the Rhineland region of Germany. In the fifteenth century, these bonfires were so numerous that the festival was nicknamed Funkentag (spark day). In the nineteenth century it was recorded that young people danced around the fire and leapt through

5066-502: Is lit and Martin's pretzels are distributed. In the Rhineland, the children also go from house to house with their lanterns, sing songs and get candy in return. The origin of the procession of lanterns is unclear. To some, it is a substitute for the Martinmas bonfire, which is still lit in a few cities and villages throughout Europe. It formerly symbolized the light that holiness brings to the darkness, just as St Martin brought hope to

5215-605: Is officially banned for sale in Portugal), is still generally available in small local shops from domestic production. Leite de Vasconcelos regarded the magusto as the vestige of an ancient sacrifice to honor the dead and stated that it was tradition in Barqueiros to prepare, at midnight, a table with chestnuts for the deceased family members to eat. A typical Portuguese saying related to Saint Martin's Day: É dia de São Martinho; comem-se castanhas, prova-se o vinho. (It

5364-495: Is often that of a goose, whose annual migration is about late autumn. By the early 9th century, respect for Saint Martin was well-established in Ireland. His monastery at Marmoûtiers became the training ground for many Celtic missions and missionaries. Some believe that St. Patrick was his nephew and that Patrick was one of many Celtic notables who lived for a time at Marmoûtiers. St. Ninian definitely studied at Marmoûtiers and

5513-705: Is rarely observed now. This period was shortened to begin on the Sunday before December and became the current Advent within a few centuries. In the Archdiocese of Milan according to Ancient Ambrosian Liturgical usage the feast of St Martin is followed by the First Sunday in Advent (the 6 weeks period is still used in this large Diocese and the Churches outside it, such as in Ticino (Switzerland) that do still use

5662-787: Is the traditional dish of the season. As Saint Martin of Tours is patron saint of Burgenland , a federal state in Austria, November 11th is a holiday by state law in Burgenland. Sint-Maarten is an old harvest festival that is celebrated in many European countries and precedes the fasting period of Advent. In the Netherlands , on the evening of 11 November, children went door to door with lanterns made of hollowed-out sugar beet . This has been replaced by paper lanterns, usually crafted by themselves. They sing songs such as "Sinte(re) Sinte(re) Maarten", to receive sweets or fruit in return. In

5811-460: Is to be avoided as St. Martin rides a white horse across Wexford Bay bringing death by drowning to any who see him. In Welsh mythology the day is associated with the Cŵn Annwn , the spectral hounds who escort souls to the otherworld ( Annwn ). St Martin's Day was one of the few nights the hounds would engage in a Wild Hunt , stalking the land for criminals and villains. The supernatural character of

5960-500: Is tradition to have a roast goose dinner. The custom is particularly popular in Scania in southern Sweden, where goose farming has long been practised, but it has gradually spread northwards. A proper goose dinner also includes svartsoppa (a heavily spiced soup made from geese blood) and apple charlotte . In Croatia , St. Martin's Day ( Martinje , Martinovanje ) marks the day when the must traditionally turns to wine . The must

6109-585: Is traditionally associated with solemnity and somberness, which is fitting to the repentant character of Lent . There has been an increasing trend in Protestant churches to supplant purple with blue during Advent as it is a hopeful season of preparation that anticipates both Bethlehem and the consummation of history in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. This colour is often called "Sarum blue", referring to its purported use at Salisbury Cathedral. Many of

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6258-403: Is traditionally celebrated with a feast of goose. The nights before and on the eve itself, children walk in processions called Laternelaufen , carrying lanterns, which they made in school, and sing St. Martin's songs. Usually, the walk starts at a church and goes to a public square. A man on horseback representing St. Martin accompanies the children. When they reach the square, Martin's bonfire

6407-467: Is usually considered impure and sinful, until it is baptised and turned into wine. The baptism is performed by someone who dresses up as a bishop and blesses the wine; this is usually done by the host. Another person is chosen as the godfather of the wine. A Czech proverb connected with the Feast of St. Martin – Martin přijíždí na bílém koni (transl. "Martin is coming on a white horse") – signifies that

6556-681: The Blessed Virgin . However, on some occasions that are heavily associated with Advent, such as the Rorate Mass (but not on Sundays), white is used. During the Nativity Fast, red is used by Eastern Christianity, although gold is an alternative colour. Many churches hold special musical events, such as Nine Lessons and Carols and singing of Handel's Messiah oratorio. The Advent Prose , an antiphonal plainsong , may be sung. The "Late Advent Weekdays", 17–24 December, mark

6705-523: The French Third Republic . Sulpicius Severus , a contemporary Christian writer, who knew Martin personally wrote a hagiography of the early life of the saint. It contains, among other things, descriptions of supernatural events such as interactions with the Devil and various miracles performed by the saint such as the casting out of demons, the healing of a paralytic and the raising of

6854-619: The Haut-Rhin mountainous region, families with young children make lanterns out of painted paper that they carry in a colourful procession up the mountain at night. Some schools organize these events, in particular schools of the Rudolf Steiner ( Waldorf education ) pedagogy. In the United States, St. Martin's Day celebrations are uncommon, but are typically held by German American communities. Many German restaurants feature

7003-581: The Kingdom of Sicily ) as common in at least late English folklore. The day is celebrated in a special way in a village near Messina and at a monastery dedicated to Saint Martin overlooking Palermo beyond Monreale. Other places in Sicily mark the day by eating fava beans . Pieter Bruegel the Elder 's physically largest painting is The Wine of Saint Martin's Day , which depicts the saint giving charity. There

7152-492: The Middle Ages , the supposed relic of St. Martin's miraculous cloak ( cappa Sancti Martini ) was carried by the king even into battle, and used as a holy relic upon which oaths were sworn. The cloak is first attested to in the royal treasury in 679, when it was conserved at the palatium of Luzarches , a royal villa that was later ceded to the monks of Saint-Denis by Charlemagne , in 798/99. The priest who cared for

7301-561: The Nativity Fast . According to Saint Gregory of Tours the celebration of Advent began in the fifth century when the Bishop Perpetuus directed that starting with the St. Martin's Day on 11 November until Christmas, one fasts three times per week; this is why Advent was sometimes also named "Lent of St. Martin". This practice remained limited to the diocese of Tours until the sixth century. The Council of Macon held in 581 adopted

7450-633: The New Testament , originally referring to the Second Coming . The season of Advent in the Christian calendar anticipates the "coming of Christ" from three different perspectives: the physical nativity in Bethlehem , the reception of Christ in the heart of the believer, and the eschatological Second Coming. Practices associated with Advent include Advent calendars , lighting an Advent wreath , praying an Advent daily devotional , erecting

7599-645: The Roman Rite of the Catholic Church , the readings of Mass on the Sundays of Advent have distinct themes: A variety of practices derived from the Roman rite are observed in various protestant churches which retain similar liturgical practices. Other variations of the themes celebrated on each of the four Sundays include: [REDACTED]  This article incorporates text from a publication now in

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7748-635: The dead . Other miracle stories described 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. Martin was born in AD 316 or 336 in Savaria in the Diocese of Pannonia (now Szombathely, Hungary). His father was a senior officer ( tribune ) in the Roman military. His father

7897-524: The monastery at Ligugé . He was consecrated as Bishop of Caesarodunum (Tours) in 371. As bishop, he was active in the suppression of the remnants of Gallo-Roman religion , but he opposed the violent persecution of the Priscillianist sect of ascetics. The contemporary hagiographer Sulpicius Severus wrote a Life of St. Martin . Some of the accounts of his travels may have been interpolated into this book to validate early sites of his cult . He

8046-469: The pagans agreed to fell their sacred pine tree, if Martin would stand directly in its path. He did so, and it miraculously missed him. Sulpicius, a classically educated aristocrat, related this anecdote with dramatic details, as a set piece. Sulpicius could not have failed to know the incident the Roman poet Horace recalls in several Odes of his own narrow escape from a falling tree. The churches of other parts of Gaul and in Spain were being disturbed by

8195-474: The vestments of the clergy, and often also the tabernacle . On the third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday , rose may be used instead, referencing the rose used on Laetare Sunday , the fourth Sunday of Lent. A rose-coloured candle in Western Christianity is referenced as a sign of joy ( Gaudete ) lit on the third Sunday of Advent. While the traditional colour for Advent is violet, there

8344-509: The 15th century and " O Heiland, reiß die Himmel auf " , published in 1622. Johann Sebastian Bach composed several cantatas for Advent in Weimar, from Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland , BWV 61, to Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben , BWV 147a, but only one more in Leipzig where he worked for the longest time, because there Advent was a silent time which allowed cantata music only on

8493-421: The 1870s, the procession to St. Martin's tomb at Tours became a display of ecclesiastical and military cooperation. Army officers in full uniform acted as military escorts, symbolically protecting the clergy and clearing the path for them. Anti-clerics viewed the staging of public religious processions as a violation of civic space. In 1878, M. Rivière, the provisional mayor of Tours, with anticlerical support banned

8642-449: The 6th century, church councils began requiring fasting on all days, except Saturdays and Sundays, from Saint Martin's Day to Epiphany (elsewhere, the Feast of the Three Wise Men for the stopping of the star over Bethlehem) on January 6 (56 days). An addition to and an equivalent to the 40 days fasting of Lent , given its weekend breaks, this was called Quadragesima Sancti Martini (Saint Martin's Lent, or literally "the fortieth of"). This

8791-405: The Advent wreath originated among German Lutherans in the 16th century. However, it was not until three centuries later that the modern Advent wreath took shape. The modern Advent wreath, with its candles representing the Sundays of Advent, originated from an 1839 initiative by Johann Hinrich Wichern , a Protestant pastor in Germany and a pioneer in urban mission work among the poor. To deal with

8940-428: The Ambrosian Liturgy. In Austria, St Martin's Day is celebrated similar to Germany. The nights before and on the night of 11 November, children walk in processions carrying lanterns, which they made in school, and sing Martin songs. Martinloben is celebrated as a collective festival. It marks the end of the wine-growers’ year. Events include art exhibitions, wine tastings, and live music. Martinigansl (roasted goose)

9089-423: The Arians with so much zeal that he was publicly whipped and forced to leave. Returning from Illyria , he was confronted by Auxentius , the Arian Archbishop of Milan , who expelled him from the city. According to the early sources, Martin decided to seek shelter on the island then called Gallinaria, now Isola d'Albenga , in the Ligurian Sea , where he lived the solitary life of a hermit. Not entirely alone, since

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9238-474: The Church. In the Anglican and Lutheran churches this fasting rule was later relaxed. The Roman Catholic Church later abolished the precept of fasting during Advent (at an unknown date at the latest in 1917 ), later, but kept Advent as a season of penitence . In addition to fasting, dancing and similar festivities were forbidden in these traditions. On Rose Sunday , relaxation of the fast was permitted. Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches still hold

9387-421: The Emperor. Martin died in Candes-Saint-Martin , Gaul (central France) in 397. After he died, local citizens of the Poitou region and residents of Tours quarreled over where Martin would be buried. One evening after dark, several residents of Tours carried Martin's body to a waiting boat on the river Loire , where teams of rowers ferried his body on the river to Tours, where a huge throng of people waited on

9536-410: The German threat. Conservatives associated the dramatic collapse of Napoleon III's regime as a sign of divine retribution on the irreligious emperor. Priests interpreted it as punishment for a nation led astray due to years of anti-clericalism . They preached repentance and a return to religion for political stability. The ruined towers of the old royal basilica of St. Martin at Tours came to symbolize

9685-466: The Imperial Court. When Hilary was forced into exile from Pictavium (now Poitiers ), Martin returned to Italy. According to Sulpicius, he converted an Alpine brigand on the way, and confronted the Devil himself. Having heard in a dream a summons to revisit his home, Martin crossed the Alps, and from Milan went over to Pannonia. There he converted his mother and some other persons; his father he could not win over. While in Illyricum he took sides against

9834-414: The Italian bishops in the spring of 2021. Beyond his patronage of the French Third Republic , Saint Martin more recently has also been described in terms of "a spiritual bridge across Europe" due to his "international" background, being a native of Pannonia who spent his adult life in Gaul . Martin is most generally portrayed on horseback dividing his cloak with the beggar. His emblem in English art

9983-408: The Messiah; the first is the symbol of the forgiveness granted to Adam and Eve, the second is the symbol of the faith of Abraham and of the patriarchs who believe in the gift of the Promised Land , the third is the symbol of the joy of David whose lineage does not stop and also testifies to his covenant with God, and the fourth and last candle is the symbol of the teaching of the prophets who announce

10132-419: The November procession in honor of St. Martin. President Patrice de Mac-Mahon was succeeded by the Republican Jules Grévy , who created a new national anticlerical offensive. Bishop Louis-Édouard-François-Desiré Pie of Poitiers united conservatives and devised a massive demonstration for the November 1879 procession. Pie's ultimate hope was that St Martin would stop the "chariot" of modern society, and lead to

10281-414: The Priscillianists, an ascetic sect, named after its leader, Priscillian . The First Council of Saragossa had forbidden several of Priscillian's practices (albeit without mentioning Priscillian by name), but Priscillian was elected bishop of Avila shortly thereafter. Ithacius of Ossonoba appealed to the emperor Gratian , who issued a rescript against Priscillian and his followers. After failing to obtain

10430-424: The San Martiño Festival starts early in the morning on 9 November and extends over four days. In Sicily, November is the winemaking season. On the day Sicilians eat anise, hard biscuits dipped into Moscato, Malvasia or Passito. l'Estate di San Martino (Saint Martin's Summer) is the traditional reference to a period of unseasonably warm weather in early to mid November, possibly shared with the Normans (who founded

10579-406: The St. Martin's wines at 11:11 a.m. Many restaurants offer special menus for the day, featuring the traditional roast goose. Many people bake special St. Martin rolls in a shape of a horseshoe filled with nuts or poppy seeds (Svatomartinské rohlíčky). Children walk in processions carrying lanterns. In Poland, 11 November is National Independence Day . St. Martin's Day ( Dzień Świętego Marcina )

10728-663: The Sunday that falls on or closest to 30 November and it ends before First Vespers (Evening Prayer I) of Christmas. The first day of Advent also begins a new liturgical year . In the Ambrosian Rite and the Mozarabic Rite of the Catholic Church, Advent begins on the sixth Sunday before Christmas, the Sunday after St. Martin's Day (11 November). For Western Christians of the Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican traditions, Advent signifies preparation for

10877-559: The West. The Eastern Nativity Fast does not use the term parousia in its preparatory services. In the Anglican , Lutheran , Moravian , Presbyterian , and Methodist calendars, Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas (always falling between 27 November and 3 December), and ends on Christmas Eve on 24 December. In the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church , Advent begins with First Vespers (Evening Prayer I) of

11026-445: The abbey was destroyed by fire on several occasions and ransacked by Norman Vikings in 853 and in 903. It burned again in 994, and was rebuilt by Hervé de Buzançais, treasurer of Saint Martin, an effort that took 20 years to complete. Expanded to accommodate the crowds of pilgrims and to attract them, the shrine of St. Martin of Tours became a major stopping-point on pilgrimages . In 1453 the remains of Saint Martin were transferred to

11175-606: The angels, "Martin, who is still but a catechumen , clothed me with this robe." ( Sulpicius, ch 2 ). In another version, when Martin woke, he found his cloak restored to wholeness. The dream confirmed Martin in his piety, and he was baptised at the age of 18. The part kept by himself became the famous relic preserved in the oratory of the Merovingian kings of the Franks at the Marmoutier Abbey near Tours . During

11324-503: The baker whipped up horseshoe-shaped croissants filled with almonds, white poppy seeds and nuts, and gave them to the poor. In recent years, competition amongst local patisseries has become fierce. The product is registered under the European Union Protected Designation of Origin and only a limited number of bakers hold an official certificate. Poznanians celebrate the festival with concerts, parades and

11473-452: The chronicles indicate that he would have been in the company of a priest, a man of great virtues , and for a period with Hilary of Poitiers , on this island, where the wild hens lived. Martin lived on a diet of herbs and wild roots . With the return of Hilary to his see in 361, Martin joined him and established a hermitage at what is now the town of Ligugé south of Poitiers , and soon attracted converts and followers. The crypt under

11622-493: The church in great numbers. As Martin was a man's saint, the devotion to him was an exception to this trend. For men serving in the military, Martin of Tours was presented by the Catholic Right as the masculine model of principled behavior. He was a brave fighter, knew his obligation to the poor, shared his goods, performed his required military service, followed legitimate orders, and respected secular authority. During

11771-520: The cloak in its reliquary was called a cappellanu , and ultimately all priests who served the military were called cappellani . The French translation is chapelains , from which the English word chaplain is derived. A similar linguistic development took place for the term referring to the small temporary churches built for the relic. People called them a "capella", the word for a little cloak. Eventually, such small churches lost their association with

11920-553: The cloak, and all small churches began to be referred to as "chapels". The veneration of Martin was widely popular in the Middle Ages , above all in the region between the Loire and the Marne , where Le Roy Ladurie and Zysberg noted the densest accretion of place names commemorating Martin. Venantius Fortunatus had earlier declared, "Wherever Christ is known, Martin is honored." When Bishop Perpetuus took office at Tours in 461,

12069-588: The context in which the Life of St Martin was brought from Gaul to Ireland at an early date, and could explain how Columbanus was familiar with it before he ever left Ireland. Founded by Martin of Tours in 360, Ligugé Abbey is one of the earliest monastic foundations in France. The reputation of the founder attracted a large number of disciples to the new monastery; the disciples initially living in locaciacum or small huts, this name later evolved to Ligugé. Its reputation

12218-407: The creation of a France where the religious and secular sectors merged. The struggle between the two men was reflective of that between conservatives and anti-clerics over the church's power in the army. From 1874, military chaplains were allowed in the army in times of peace, but anti-clerics viewed the chaplains as sinister monarchists and counter-revolutionaries. Conservatives responded by creating

12367-414: The crowd; that may account for complaints by a few that his appearance was too disheveled to be commensurate with a bishopric, but the critics were hugely outnumbered. As bishop, Martin set to enthusiastically ordering the destruction of pagan temples, altars and sculptures: [W]hen in a certain village he had demolished a very ancient temple, and had set about cutting down a pine-tree, which stood close to

12516-500: The day in Welsh culture is evident in the number omens associated with it. Marie Trevelyan recorded that if the hooting of an owl was heard on St Martin's Day it was seen as a bad omen for that district. If a meteor was seen, then there would be trouble for the whole nation. Mārtiņi (Martin's) is traditionally celebrated by Latvians on 10 November, marking the end of the preparations for winter, such as salting meat and fish, storing

12665-674: The decline of traditional Catholic France. With the government's relocation to Tours during the Franco-Prussian War , 1870, numerous pilgrims were attracted to St. Martin's tomb. It was covered by a temporary chapel built by archbishop Guibert . The popular devotion to St. Martin was also associated with the nationalistic devotion to the Sacred Heart . The flag of Sacre-Coeur, borne by Ultramontane Catholic Pontifical Zouaves who fought at Patay, had been placed overnight in St. Martin's tomb before being taken into battle on 9 October 1870. The banner read "Heart of Jesus Save France" and on

12814-478: The eastern part of the Belgian province of East Flanders (Aalst) and the western part of West Flanders ( Ypres ), traditionally children receive presents from St. Martin on November 11, instead of from Saint Nicholas on December 6 or Santa Claus on December 25. They also have lantern processions, for which children make lanterns out of beets . In recent years, the lantern processions have become widespread as

12963-440: The emperor into such matters. He prevailed upon the emperor to spare the life of the heretic Priscillian. At first, Maximus acceded to his entreaty, but, when Martin had departed, yielded to Ithacius and ordered Priscillian and his followers to be beheaded (in 385). Martin then pleaded for a cessation of the persecution of Priscillian's followers in Spain. Deeply grieved, Martin refused to communicate with Ithacius, until pressured by

13112-425: The end of it, thus making the "summer" a gift from God. St. Martin's Day ( Dia de São Martinho ) is commonly associated with the celebration of the maturation of the year's wine, being traditionally the first day when the new wine can be tasted. It is celebrated, traditionally around a bonfire , eating the magusto , chestnuts roasted under the embers of the bonfire (sometimes dry figs and walnuts ), and drinking

13261-582: The end of the harvest and the beginning of winter. The feast coincides with the end of the Octave of Allhallowtide . Martinmas was traditionally when livestock were slaughtered for winter provision. It may originally have been a time of animal sacrifice , as the Old English name for November was Blōtmōnaþ ('sacrifice month'). Goose is eaten at Martinmas in most places. There is a legend that St Martin, when trying to avoid being ordained bishop, hid in

13410-471: The established faith of "patriotic Republicanism". St. Martin has long been associated with France's royal heritage. Monsignor René François Renou (Archbishop of Tours, 1896–1913) worked to associate St. Martin as a specifically "republican" patron. Renou had served as a chaplain to the 88 Régiment des mobils d'Indre-et-Loire during the Franco-Prussian war and was known as the "army bishop". Renou

13559-522: The eternity of God. The flames of candles are the representation of the Christmas light approaching and bringing hope and peace, as well as the symbol of the struggle against darkness. For Christians, this crown is also the symbol of Christ the King , the holly recalling the crown of thorns resting on the head of Christ. The Advent wreath is adorned with candles, usually three violet or purple and one pink;

13708-602: The eve of St. Martin's Day ( Lá Fhéile Mártain in Irish ), it was tradition to sacrifice a cockerel by bleeding it. The blood was collected and sprinkled on the four corners of the house. Also in Ireland, no wheel of any kind was to turn on St. Martin's Day, because Martin was said by some people to have been thrown into a mill stream and killed by the wheel and so it was not right to turn any kind of wheel on that day. A local legend in County Wexford says that putting to sea

13857-543: The evening of 10 November, mainly in West Flanders and around Ypres . Children go through the streets with paper lanterns and candles, and sing songs about St Martin. Sometimes, a man dressed as St Martin rides on a horse in front of the procession. In Wervik , children go from door to door, singing traditional "Séngmarténg" songs, sporting a hollow beetroot with a carved face and a candle inside called "Bolle Séngmarténg"; they gather at an evening bonfire. Martinmas

14006-677: The fancy of nineteenth-century ritualists." While the Sarum use was influential, different dioceses, including Salisbury, used a variety of coloured vestments. "In the Sarum Rite the Advent colour was red, but it could very well have been the red-purple known as murray ..." The Roman Catholic Church retains the traditional violet. Blue is not generally used in Latin Catholicism, and where it does regionally, it has nothing to do with Advent specifically, but with veneration of

14155-480: The feast day, people ate and drank very heartily for a last time before they started to fast. This fasting time was later called " Advent " by the Church and was considered a time for spiritual preparation for Christmas. On St. Martin's Day, children in Flanders , the southern and northern parts of the Netherlands , and the Catholic areas of Germany and Austria participate in paper lantern processions. Often,

14304-509: The feast, known by the Maltese as Il-Borża ta' San Martin , "St. Martin's bag". This bag may include walnuts , hazelnuts , almonds , chestnuts , dried or processed figs , seasonal fruit (like oranges , tangerines , apples and pomegranates ) and " Saint Martin's bread roll " (Maltese: Ħobża ta' San Martin ). In old days, nuts were used by the children in their games. There is a traditional rhyme associated with this custom: A feast

14453-558: The first day of Advent often heralds the start of the Christmas season , with many people opting to erect their Christmas trees and Christmas decorations on or immediately before Advent Sunday. Since 2011, an Advent labyrinth consisting of 2,500 tealights has been formed for the third Saturday of Advent in Frankfurt-Bornheim . The keeping of an Advent wreath is a common practice in homes or churches. The concept of

14602-471: The first half of November in the Czech Republic is the time when it often starts to snow. St. Martin's Day is the traditional feast day in the run-up to Advent. Restaurants often serve roast goose as well as young wine from the recent harvest known as Svatomartinské víno, which is similar to Beaujolais nouveau as the first wine of the season. Wine shops and restaurants around Prague pour the first of

14751-541: The first of the four Sundays. During Advent, the Gloria of the Mass is omitted, so that the return of the angels' song at Christmas has an effect of novelty. Mass compositions written especially for Lent, such as Michael Haydn's Missa tempore Quadragesimae , in D minor for choir and organ, have no Gloria and so are appropriate for use in Advent. Bishop Perpetuus of Tours, who died in 490, ordered fasting three days

14900-509: The five Sundays preceding Christmas and for the corresponding Wednesdays and Fridays. The homilies of Gregory the Great in the late sixth century showed four weeks to the liturgical season of Advent, but without the observance of a fast. Under Charlemagne in the ninth century, writings claim that the fast was still widely observed. In the 13th century, the fast of Advent was not commonly practised although, according to Durand of Mende, fasting

15049-684: The flames, and that the ashes were strewn on the fields to make them fertile. In some German and Dutch-speaking towns, there are nighttime processions of children carrying paper lanterns or turnip lanterns and singing songs of St Martin. These processions are known in German as Laternelaufen . In parts of Flanders and the Rhineland , processions are led by a man on horseback representing St Martin, who may give out apples, nuts, cakes or other sweets for children. Historically, in Ypres , children hung up stockings filled with hay on Martinmas Eve, and awoke

15198-454: 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. Martin declared his vocation, and made his way to the city of Caesarodunum (now Tours ), where he became a disciple of Hilary of Poitiers ' Christian orthodoxy. He opposed the Arianism of

15347-454: The harvest and making preserves. It is a day when the lines between the spirit world and the world of the living begin to blur. Mārtiņi also marks the beginning of masquerading and sledding, among other winter activities. St. Martin's Day ( Jum San Martin in Maltese ) is celebrated in Malta on the Sunday nearest to 11 November. Children are given a bag full of fruits and sweets associated with

15496-521: The historian to pin down the exact date of Martin's exit from military service. Still, historian Andre Mertens has provided this guidance: "He [Martin] served under the Roman emperor Constantine II (ruled 337-61) and afterwards under Julian (ruled 355-60)." 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

15645-440: The impatience of the children awaiting Christmas, whom he was teaching, Wichern made a ring of wood, with 19 small red tapers and four large white candles. Every morning a small candle was lit, and every Sunday a large candle. Modern practice only retains the large candles. The wreath crown is traditionally made of fir tree branches knotted with a red ribbon and decorated with pine cones, holly, laurel, and sometimes mistletoe. It

15794-517: The intervention of St Martin with his success, and with several following triumphs, including the defeat of Alaric II . The popular devotion to St Martin continued to be closely identified with the Merovingian monarchy: in the early seventh century Dagobert I commissioned the goldsmith Saint Eligius to make a work in gold and gems for the tomb-shrine. The bishop Gregory of Tours wrote and distributed an influential Life filled with miraculous events of St. Martin's career. Martin's cultus survived

15943-472: The latest. In Normandy , farmers employed children under twelve to run through the fields and orchards armed with torches, setting fire to bundles of straw, and thus, it was believed, driving out such vermin as were likely to damage the crops. In Italy, among other Advent celebrations, is the entry into Rome in the last days of Advent of the Calabrian pifferari , or bagpipe players, who play before

16092-422: The little chapel over Martin's grave, built in the previous century by Martin's immediate successor, Bricius , was no longer sufficient for the crowd of pilgrims it was already drawing. Perpetuus built a larger basilica , 38 m (125 ft) long and 18 m (59 ft) wide, with 120 columns. Martin's body was taken from the simple chapel at his hermitage at Candes-St-Martin to Tours and his sarcophagus

16241-527: The mid-7th century contains the text of a mass for St Martin. In the Life of Columba , Adamnan mentions in passing that St Martin was commemorated during Mass at Iona . In his Ireland and Her Neighbours in the Seventh Century , Michael Richter attributes this to the mission of Palladius seen within the wider context of the mission of Germanus of Auxerre to Britain around 429. Thus, this could be

16390-503: The most familiar and recognizable saints in France, heralded as the patron saint of the Third Republic . He is the patron saint of many communities and organizations across Europe. A native of Pannonia (in present-day Hungary), he converted to Christianity at a young age. He served in the Roman cavalry in Gaul , but left military service at some point prior to 361, when he became a disciple of Hilary of Poitiers , establishing

16539-423: The most widespread variation of the cloak story, Saint Martin cut off half of his cloak in order to offer it to a beggar and along the way, he gave the remaining part to a second beggar. As he faced a long ride in a freezing weather, the dark clouds cleared away and the sun shone so intensely that the frost melted away. Such weather was rare for early November, so was credited to God's intervention. The phenomenon of

16688-538: The next morning to find gifts in them. These were said to have been left by St Martin as thanks for the fodder provided for his horse. In the Swabia and Ansbach regions of Germany, a character called Pelzmärten (' pelt Martin' or 'skin Martin') appeared at Martinmas until the 19th century. With a black face and wearing a cow bell, he ran about frightening children, and he dealt out blows as well as nuts and apples. In

16837-623: The ornaments and ceremonial practices associated with the Sarum rite were revived in the Anglican Communion in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as part of the Anglo-Catholic Oxford Movement in the Church of England. While Anglican liturgist Percy Dearmer does not object to the use of blue during Advent, he did not attribute its use to Sarum. "[T]he so-called Sarum uses are really one-half made up from

16986-580: The papal court but there was no mention of fasting. It was then customary in Rome to observe five weeks of Advent before Christmas. The Ambrosian Rite has six. The Greeks show no more real consistency: Advent was an optional fast that some begin on 15 November, while others begin on 6 December or only a few days before Christmas. The liturgy of Advent remained unchanged until the Second Vatican Council introduced minor changes, differentiating

17135-515: The parish church (not the current Abbey Chapel) reveals traces of a Roman villa, probably part of the bath complex, which had been abandoned before Martin established himself there. The monastery became a centre for the evangelisation of the country districts around Poitiers, and later developed into Ligugé Abbey , belonging to the Order of St. Benedict and claiming to be the oldest monastery known in western Europe. In 371, Martin succeeded Litorius,

17284-616: The passage of power to the Merovingians' successors, the Carolingian dynasty. Martin is honored in the Church of England and in the Episcopal Church on 11 November . In 1860 excavations by Leo Dupont (1797–1876) established the dimensions of the former abbey and recovered some fragments of architecture. The tomb of St. Martin was rediscovered on 14 December 1860, which aided in the nineteenth-century revival of

17433-524: The past, poor people would visit farms on 11 November to get food for the winter. In the 1600s, the city of Amsterdam held boat races on the IJ , where 400 to 500 light craft, both rowing boats and sailboats, took part with a vast crowd on the banks. St Martin is the patron saint of the cities of Utrecht and Groningen . In Flanders , the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, St Martin's Eve is celebrated on

17582-470: The pink candle is lit on the Third Sunday of Advent, called " Gaudete Sunday " after the opening word, Gaudete , meaning 'Rejoice', of the entrance antiphon at Mass . Some add a fifth candle (white), known as the "Christ candle", in the middle of the wreath, to be lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. The candles symbolise, in one interpretation, the great stages of salvation before the coming of

17731-400: The poor through his good deeds. Even though the bonfire tradition is gradually being lost, the procession of lanterns is still practiced. A Martinsgans ("St. Martin's goose") is typically served on St. Martin's Eve following the procession of lanterns. "Martinsgans" is usually served in restaurants, roasted, with red cabbage and dumplings. The traditional sweet of Martinmas in the Rhineland

17880-418: The popular devotion to St. Martin. After the radical Paris Commune of 1871, there was a resurgence of conservative Catholic piety, and the church decided to build a basilica to St. Martin. They selected Victor Laloux as architect. He eschewed Gothic for a mix of Romanesque and Byzantine, sometimes defined as neo-Byzantine. The new Basilique Saint-Martin was erected on a portion of its former site, which

18029-440: The position of Abbot to his friend and adviser Alcuin . At this time the abbot could travel between Tours and the court at Trier in Germany and always stay overnight at one of his own properties. It was at Tours that Alcuin's scriptorium (a room in monasteries devoted to the copying of manuscripts by monastic scribes ) developed Caroline minuscule , the clear round hand that made manuscripts far more legible. In later times

18178-596: The practice in Tours. Soon all France observed three days of fasting a week from the feast of Saint Martin until Christmas. The most devout worshipers in some countries exceeded the requirements adopted by the council, and fasted every day of Advent. The first clear references in the Western Church to Advent occur in the Gelasian Sacramentary , which provides Advent Collects, Epistles, and Gospels for

18327-411: The relative importance of penitence and expectation during the weeks in Advent. Since approximately the 13th century, the usual liturgical colour in Western Christianity for Advent has been violet; Pope Innocent III declared black to be the proper colour for Advent, though Durandus of Saint-Pourçain claims violet has preference over black. The violet or purple colour is often used for antependia ,

18476-569: The reverse side Carmelite nuns of Tours embroidered "Saint Martin Protect France". As the French army was victorious in Patay, many among the faithful took the victory to be the result of divine favor. Popular hymns of the 1870s developed the theme of national protection under the cover of Martin's cloak, the "first flag of France". During the nineteenth-century Frenchmen, influenced by secularism, agnosticism, and anti-clericalism , deserted

18625-461: The river banks to meet and pay their last respects to Martin's body. One chronicle states that "2,000 monks, and nearly as many white-robed virgins, walked in the procession" accompanying the body from the river to a small grove just west of the city, where Martin was buried and where his shrine was established. The shrine chapel at Tours developed into one of the most prominent and influential establishments in medieval France. Charlemagne awarded

18774-429: The second bishop of Tours . He impressed the city with his demeanour. He was enticed to Tours from Ligugé by a ruse — he was urged to come to minister to someone sick — and was brought to the church, where he reluctantly allowed himself to be consecrated bishop. According to one version, he was so unwilling to be made bishop that he hid in a barn full of geese, but their cackling at his intrusion gave him away to

18923-402: The short-lived Legion de Saint Maurice in 1878 and the society, Notre Dame de Soldats, to provide unpaid voluntary chaplains with financial support. The legislature passed the anticlerical Duvaux Bill of 1880, which reduced the number of chaplains in the French army. Anticlerical legislators wanted commanders, not chaplains, to provide troops with moral support and to supervise their formation in

19072-592: The shrines of Mary, the mother of Jesus: in Italian tradition, the shepherds played these pipes when they came to the manger at Bethlehem to pay homage to the infant Jesus. In recent times, the most common observance of Advent outside church circles has been the keeping of an Advent calendar or Advent candle , with one door being opened in the calendar, or one section of the candle being burned, on each day in December leading up to Christmas Eve. In many countries,

19221-712: The singing of the Great Advent ' O antiphons '. These are the daily antiphons for the Magnificat at Vespers , Evensong , or Evening Prayer , in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, and mark the forthcoming birth of the Messiah. They form the basis for each verse of the popular Advent hymn " O come, O come, Emmanuel ". German songs for Advent include " Es kommt ein Schiff, geladen " from

19370-469: The spirit of Lent from that of Advent, emphasising Advent as a season of hope for Christ's coming now as a promise of his Second Coming. The theme of readings and teachings during Advent is often the preparation for the Second Coming and the Last Judgement . While the Sunday readings relate to the first coming of Jesus Christ as saviour as well as to his Second Coming as judge, traditions vary in

19519-534: The spread of the religion, it was still a minority faith. As the son of a veteran officer, Martin at 15 was required to join a cavalry ala . At the age of 18 (around 334 or 354), he was stationed at Ambianensium civitas or Samarobriva in Gaul (now Amiens , France). It is likely that he joined the Equites catafractarii Ambianenses , a heavy cavalry unit listed in the Notitia Dignitatum . As

19668-536: The support of Ambrose of Milan and Pope Damasus I , Priscillian appealed to Magnus Maximus , who had usurped the throne from Gratian. Although greatly opposed to the Priscillianists, Martin traveled to the Imperial court of Trier to remove them from the secular jurisdiction of the emperor. With Ambrose, Martin rejected Bishop Ithacius's principle of putting heretics to death—as well as the intrusion of

19817-509: The temple, the chief priest of that place, and a crowd of other heathens began to oppose him; and these people, though, under the influence of the Lord, they had been quiet while the temple was being overthrown, could not patiently allow the tree to be cut down. Sulpicius writes that Martin withdrew from the city to live in Marmoutier ( Majus Monasterium ), a rural monastery which he founded

19966-528: The tomb in the apse , which may have been visible through a fenestrella in the apse wall. St. Martin's popularity can be partially attributed to his adoption by successive royal houses of France. Clovis , King of the Salian Franks , one of many warring tribes in sixth-century France, promised his Christian wife Clotilda that he would be baptised if he was victorious over the Alemanni . He credited

20115-506: The tradition of fasting for 40 days before Christmas. In England, especially in the northern counties, there was a custom (now extinct) for poor women to carry around the "Advent images", two dolls dressed to represent Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary. A halfpenny coin was expected from every one to whom these were exhibited and bad luck was thought to menace the household not visited by the doll-bearers before Christmas Eve at

20264-511: The unit was stationed at Milan and is also recorded at Trier , it is likely to have been part of the elite cavalry bodyguard of the Emperor, which accompanied him on his travels around the Empire. 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

20413-481: Was a soldier in the Roman army and stationed in Gaul (modern-day France), he experienced a vision, which became the most-repeated story about his life. One day as he was approaching the gates of the city of Amiens, he met a scantily clad beggar. He impulsively cut his military cloak in half to share with the man. That night, Martin dreamed of Jesus wearing the half of the cloak he had given away. He heard Jesus say to some of

20562-586: Was a strong supporter of St. Martin and believed that the national destiny of France and all its victories were attributed to him. He linked the military to the cloak of St. Martin, which was the "first flag of France" to the French tricolor, "the symbol of the union of the old and new." This flag symbolism connected the devotion to St. Martin with the Third Republic. But, the tensions of the Dreyfus Affair renewed anti-clericalism in France and drove

20711-597: Was a time for saying farewell to travelling ploughmen, who shared in the feast along with the harvest-workers. According to Walsh, Martinmas eventually died out in England as a result of the English Reformation , the emergence of Guy Fawkes Night (5 November), as well as changes in farming and the Industrial Revolution . According to folklore, if the weather is warm on St Martin's Day, then

20860-470: Was certainly in existence from about 480; the novelty introduced by the Council of Tours of 567 was to order monks to fast every day in the month of December until Christmas. According to J. Neil Alexander , it is "impossible to claim with confidence a credible explanation of the origin of Advent". Associated with Advent as a time of penitence was a period of fasting , known also as St Martin's Lent or

21009-488: Was concentrated in cities, brought along the trade routes by converted Jews and Greeks (the term 'pagan' literally means 'country-dweller'). Christianity was far from accepted among the higher echelons of society; among members of the army the worship of Mithras would have been stronger. Although the conversion of the Emperor Constantine and the subsequent programme of church-building gave a greater impetus to

21158-403: Was no mention of a link between St Martin and winegrowing by Gregory of Tours or other early hagiographers, St Martin is widely credited in France with helping to spread winemaking throughout the region of Tours ( Touraine ) and facilitating vine-planting. The old Greek tale that Aristaeus discovered the advantage of pruning vines after watching a goat, has been appropriated to St Martin. He

21307-400: Was profoundly influenced by Martin. Ninian dedicated a new church to Martin. The Book of Armagh contains, among other texts, almost the complete body of writings on Saint Martin by Sulpicius Severus. In Jonas of Bobbio 's Vita Columbani , Jonas relates that Saint Columbanus , while travelling, requested to be allowed to pray at the tomb of St Martin. The Irish palimpsest sacramentary from

21456-603: Was purchased from the owners. Started in 1886, the church was consecrated 4 July 1925. Martin's renewed popularity in France was related to his promotion as a military saint during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871. During the military and political crisis of the Franco-Prussian war, Napoleon III 's Second Empire collapsed. After the surrender of Napoleon to the Prussians after the Battle of Sedan in September 1870,

21605-411: Was reburied behind the high altar of the new basilica. A large block of marble above the tomb, the gift of bishop Euphronius of Autun (472–475), rendered it visible to the faithful gathered behind the high altar. Werner Jacobsen suggests it may also have been visible to pilgrims encamped in the atrium of the basilica. Contrary to the usual arrangement, the atrium was situated behind the church, close to

21754-655: Was soon eclipsed by Martin's later foundation at Marmoutier. As of 2013, the Benedictine community at Ligugé numbered twenty-five. From the late 4th century to the late Middle Ages , much of Western Europe , including Great Britain , engaged in a period of fasting beginning on the day after St. Martin's Day , November 11. This fast period lasted 40 days (not including Saturdays and Sundays), and was, therefore, called Quadragesima Sancti Martini , which means in Latin "the forty days of St. Martin". At St. Martin's eve and on

21903-432: Was still generally observed. As quoted in the bull of canonisation of St. Louis, the zeal with which he observed this fast was no longer a custom observed by Christians of great piety. It was then limited to the period from the feast of Saint Andrew until Christmas Day, since the solemnity of this apostle was more universal than that of St. Martin. When Pope Urban V ascended the papal seat in 1362, he imposed abstinence on

22052-529: 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 . Christianity had been made a legal religion (in 313) in the Roman Empire . It had many more adherents in the Eastern Empire, whence it had sprung, and

22201-532: Was widely celebrated on 11 November in medieval and early modern England . In his study "Medieval English Martinmesse: The Archaeology of a Forgotten Festival", Martin Walsh describes Martinmas as a festival marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter. He suggests it had pre-Christian roots. Martinmas ushered in the "winter revelling season" and involved feasting on the meat of livestock that had been slaughtered for winter provision (especially 'Martlemas beef'), drinking, storytelling, and mumming . It

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