Martin of Tours
bishop of Tours
Years: 316 - 397
Martin of Tours (Latin: Sanctus Martinus Turonensis; 316 – November 8, 397) is a Bishop of Tours whose shrine becomes a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela.
Around his name much legendary material accrued, and he has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints.
He is considered a spiritual bridge across Europe, given his association with both France and Hungary.
His life was recorded by a contemporary, the hagiographer Sulpicius Severus.
Some of the accounts of his travels may have been interpolated into his vita to validate early sites of his cult.
He is a patron saint of soldiers.
