Saint Martin's legend

Martin was a Roman soldier born in Pannonia, a Roman province that includes modern Hungary, between 315 and 316 a.D..

Martin's father was an old army officer (in Latin “veteranus”) who still believed in the old Roman religion, like his mother. However, Martin's curiosity and spiritual hunger made him knock secretly at the door of a Christian church to ask to become a catechumen at the age of 10.

Even so, he didn't receive the baptism and he was forced by his parents to join the Roman army when he was 15. Being a veteran's son, he was assigned the title of “circitor” and led a ceremonial cavalry that rarely joined a military conflict.

On a cold winter day, Martin was inspecting the gates of his camp, when he saw a beggar with clothes so torn up to be practically naked. So, the soldier took off his ceremonial mantle and cut it in two parts, giving a half to the poor man.

That night Martin dreamed Jesus, that was wearing the half part of the mantle he had given to the beggar that day. When he woke up, he found his intact mantle on his shoulders and went immediately to receive baptism.

After that day, Martin refused the money it was used to give to soldiers before battle and didn't want to go to war. He became a supporter of Christianity and a strong opponent of the Arian doctrine.

In 357 a. D. he went to the Gallinara island and lived as an hermit for four years. When a Catholic bishop was elected in Poitiers, he went there, became a monk, found new followers and built one of the first monasteries in the western part of Europe.

In 371 a. D. he became bishop of Tour and kept on creating new communities of monks in the territory to propagate the Catholic faith.

He died on the 8^th of November 397 a. D. in Candes Saint Martin, where he had gone to bring peace in a local clerical community.

Martinmas term (11^th November)

It is one of the Scottish term days that once signed the four divisions of the legal year, historically used as the days when contracts would begin and end and servants would be hired or dismissed.