A proposal for a new Cultural Route based on a great European figure "Martin of Tours" and an obvious symbol of "Sharing, common value".
Michel Thomas-Penette avec l'aide des documents de la Mission Martin de Tours. Nos remerciements à Antoine Selosse.
Michel Thomas-Penette with the help of documents prepared by the Mission Martin de Tours. Thanks to Antoine Selosse. |
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european institute of cultural routes |
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| Michel Thomas-Penette |
| 25 July 2004 |
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| A Mission for Martin de Tours |
Exactly two years ago, Antoine Selosse rambled to Santiago de Compostela. When back, this journalist born in Touraine wondered why Saint Martin, Bishop of Tours was not at the chore of a European Cultural Route. Two years after the project can be touched locally with the first landmark, European partners are there and a European Centre is on its way...
The introduction presented by the Mission Martin de Tours (*) underlines the European dimension of the route: “Since more than 1600 years the cult of Saint Martin de Tours developed in Europe at large and in the world. The famous episode of the sharing of its coat with a poor became an universal symbol. The tracks of Saint Martin’s cult are obvious everywhere through material (historic, archaeological, cultural, artistic) and non-tangible (myths, rites, legends, beliefs and traditions) heritages.
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Cathedral saint Martin Tours
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All these tracks find an important signification when presented in the context of European history.
The “Mission Martin de Tours" has chosen a main objective: emphasise the encounter of Europeans based on “Martin de Tours' heritage and prepare with the help of local authorities and private partners, a European Cultural Route “Martin of Tours, European Figure", linking past and present, which goes beyond distances, frontiers, lack of understanding, gaps between cultures.
This high symbolic itinerary in the process of European integration – through the renown sharing gesture – should become a reference and example for the future actions of the Mission.
(*) Mission Martin de Tours
Président: Bruno Judic, Professor in University
Secretary: Christine Bousquet, Professor, Lecturer
Director: Antoine Selosse
See in links the documents "Mission Martin de Tours"
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At first, the course of Saint Martin is known as concerns history - and beyond the legend - by the work of Sulpice Sévère, biograph who lived at the time of Saint Martin: "I'll begin the story of the life of Saint Martin. I'll write about his behaviour, before he became archbishop and during the rest of his life. However I could not achieve a complete knowledge: the facts that happened when he was alone, we don't know anything about, just as he wanted to hide his miracles. Even some facts that I know have been omited beccause I thought it was sufficent enough to present the most important ones. And I wanted to avoid two many examples in order the readers don't be afraid. But I ask those who will read these pages to believe me. I never mentioned something which is not based on proof. I would have prefered to be silent than to lye." (*)
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Szombathely
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Pannonhalma
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The life of Martin of Tours is linked to many European countries: born in Savaria (today Szombathely in Hungary) - some pretend in Pannonhalma - he grown up in Pavia (Italy), left the Roman army in Worms (Germany), tried to convince his parents to become Christians (in Illyria, Croatia - Serbia) after a dangerous course in the Alps. When back he settled in Milan and then found a safer place in the Island of "Gallinaria" and became, after his installation in Ligugé close to Poitiers (France), bishop of Tours.
After his death, his grave in Tours was subject of a pilgrimage. Pilgrims travelled mainly from France, Italy and Germany and the place became the third pilgrim's place of this century after Jerusalem and Rome.
(*) «Martin came from Savaria, a city in Pannonia but was educated in Italy, in Ticinum (Pavia). His parents were honorable citizens but were pagans."..."For around three years before being baptized, Martin was a soldier; but he staid far from the defects of army's life."..."One day he was only bearing his weapons and his one piece soldier's mantle, during a very rigourous cold winter that led people to death, at the door of the city of Ambiens (Amiens), Martin met a poor naked man."..."However the Barbarians went through Gauls. The Cesar Julien concentrated his army close to the city of Vangions (Worms). He begun by distributing to soldiers a donativum. As usual, the soldiers came one by one. Then came Martin. He then judged that the occasion was favourable to tell he wanted to leave the army, as he felt honest to refuse the donativum ."...
Translation of the author. You can find the complete text in the translation of Alexander Roberts
on the website in link.
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| From Ligugé to Marmoutier |
We have of course to recall the main episode of his life, when he was captured by the inhabitants of Tours to become bishop of Tours: In year 371, at the beginning of Summer the second bishop of Tours died. The inhabitants had to find a new one and it was not so easy. A name was rapidly put forward going from one to the other's mind: Martin, the man of virtues, the miracles of whom everybody was aware. But Martin was in Ligugé, close to Poitiers. He lived there since ten years in a monastery he founded. A certain Rusticus had a proposal: "I'll go there, he said, and find Martin. I'll asked him to come and see my wife suffering from a terrible illness. He couldn't refuse to help me. He will then leave his monastery. I'll bring him in a place where a troup of our friends will wait, and then..."
Martin will captured this way, leaving his monastery, pushed on the path to Tours. No doubt that horses were used to that in order to travel more rapidly. The distance from Ligugé to Tours was seventy Roman miles, that means some sixty kilometres. Sulpice Sévère precised that he lived in Tours as usual, in a monk's wood room and founded the Abbey of Marmoutier, close to Tours.
As a Bishop he went three times to Trier in Geramny to meet the Emperors and travelled through Gaul where he destroyed pagan cults and founded the first rural churches of Western Lands.
Saint Martin died in Candes Saint Martin (Indre-et-Loire), on 8 November 397. He was buried in Tours, on 11 November.
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Marmoutier
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Candes Saint Martin
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Sharing the Coat
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Island of Bled, Slovenia
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In many countries, Martin of Tours is one of the main figure of religious illustration; series of stain glasses, sculptures or miniatures are telling his life and miracles (Tours, Chartres, Saint Florentin...)...in mural paintings (Assise) and tapestries (Angers, Montpezat...) too.
Martin is at all one of the most popular European Saint, «a hero of folklore».
Everyone crossed in his or her life a fountain Saint Martin, erected stones, rocks, bridges devoted to the Saint.
His name is part of more than one hundred adages, peaches and apples got his name, as well as animals (bear, donkey, king-fisher…).
This is one of the most frequent family names, as well as frequent first name.
His celebration on November 11th was a highlight of the year in all Europe and is still celebrated: time to eat goose, to taste the new wine, to light the fire of the Saint Martin, to celebrate the Summer of Saint Martin with new flowers in the trees.
He is the patron of ramblers and travellers, of wine growers, of hostel tenants.
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Saint Martin, Lucca Cathedral
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Local authorities of Indre-et-Loire as well as local and regional partners are part of the first step of the preparation of the itinerary "Martin of Tours, European Figure", in Tours and around. It means to signpost a cultural path for ramblers "On the footsteps of Martin of Tours".
On 1st July 2004 took place the launching of the first of directional landmark created by the sculptor Michel Audiard. This landmark will be the same for every cultural path "Saint Martin of Tours" in Europe. This presentation, and a Summer fire of Saint Martin were organised by the Community of municipalities of Grand Ligueillois, at la Chapelle Blanche Saint Martin. This trail for ramblers and riders will go through Pays de Loches and South Touraine. Twelve municipalities of the département can present Martin's testimonies and heritage: Tournon Saint Pierre - Bossay sur Claise – Charnizay – Betz le Château – Esves le Moutier – Ciran – Ligueil – La Chapelle Blanche Saint Martin – Manthelan – Le Louroux - Tauxigny – Cormery, toward Tours. The signposting will be materialised by landmarks close to those which existed along Roman roads during the IVth century when Martin was alive. The form of these landmarks comes from the one that can still be seen in Betz le Château (Indre-et-Loire). They were settled in 1565 in order to indicate the limits of properties (forests) of the Saint Martin of Tours estates. They are rocks with flat facettes. On one of these is written «D St M» which means the limits of the Goods of Saint Martin's Dean (A.Chauvigné). These directional landmarks Saint Martin will be prepared in a contemporary material: white cement. They are rectangular with round summit. The letters D St M are written as well as the directions of the cardinal points.
In the frame of the preparation of the European itinerary, the Mission Martin of Tours commissioned the sculptor Michel Audiard to create bronze nails "On the footsteps of Saint Martin".
The itineraries in preparation are presented in various documents in link.
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Martin unveils the landmark
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The proposal of the European Cultural Route Saint Martin has been presented to the Advisoty Committee of the Cultural Routes last December. The decision was to encourage its development and its inclusion in the theme "The Great European Figures". The Institute is in charge of helping the operators and of sharing with them the implementation as regards the European developements.
Since the first steps the Institure encouraged the operators to adopt a main line and dimension: the concept of sharing, "A common value of Europe". This value has to be more than ever a value of dialogue between the European countries and in the world. People of the XXIth century will certainly have to be aware of sharing water, food, environment, richness - on the material side - (Western with Eastern Europe after years of misunderstanding and separation, Northern Europe with the other bank of Mediterranean and Black Africa, yougsters with senior citizens). But it has also to be the time of "sharing universal spiritual values", "sharing, founding value of many religions", as well as "sharing experiences in terms of democracy, rule of law, sustainable development"...
From the Act of sharing in Martin's Christian religion, we have to search the same value in other religions and in society at large.
This is the reason why one of the common actions will be the organisation of "European Days of Sharing" on 8 to 11 November. The first of which should take place in Tours next autumn in the presence of European and Hungarian authorities.
Three European cultural itineraries "saint Martin de Tours" have also to be settled: Tours – Paris – Luxembourg – Trèves, Tours – Lyon – Milan – Szombathely and Tours – Bordeaux – Saragosse. A Common charter of lighting for the monuments dedicated to Saint Martin has also to be prepared. Scientific conferences and publications are on the agenda.
Last but not least, the creation of a European Centre Saint Martin is also scheduled. A meeting with the French Ministry for Culture will take place on 28 July 2004. The Centre should propose a library, archives, a website and be responsible of the animation of the route in close relation with the Institute and the new European Group of Economic Interest which links networks of cities of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe.
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Nail in Bronze by Michel audiard
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 other web sites
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documents
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media library
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