St. Martin of Tours: Feast Day, Patronage & Prayers

Feast day: November 11 (Memorial of St. Martin of Tours, Bishop)

Patron of: Soldiers, France, and the poor.

About St. Martin of Tours

St. Martin was born around 316 in Pannonia, in present-day Hungary, the son of a Roman army officer, and he was enrolled as a soldier while still young. One bitterly cold day at the gate of Amiens, the young catechumen met a nearly naked beggar. Having nothing else to give, Martin cut his military cloak in half with his sword and gave half to the man. That night he dreamed of Christ wearing the half cloak and saying to the angels, "Martin, still a catechumen, has clothed me with this garment."

Martin was soon baptized, and he later left the army, saying he was now a soldier of Christ. He became a disciple of St. Hilary of Poitiers and founded one of the first monasteries in Gaul at Ligugé. In 371 the people of Tours insisted on making him their bishop, against his will. He lived simply in a monastery at Marmoutier, preached tirelessly in the countryside, and cared for the poor and the prisoners. He died in 397, and his shrine at Tours became one of the great pilgrimage sites of Europe. Martin teaches us to see Christ in the poor.

Prayers to St. Martin of Tours on Daily Catholic Prayers

• Litany of the Saints

• Prayer for a Loved One Serving in the Military

• Prayer to St. Martin of Tours, Soldier and Bishop

Learn more: “St. Martin of Tours” in the Catholic Encyclopedia (New Advent)

Browse every saint in our Catalog of Saints A–Z.

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