Sulpicius Severus was a Christian writer and native of Aquitania in modern-day France. He is known for his chronicle of sacred history, as well as his biography of Saint Martin of Tours. He is venerated as a Saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Page from the Vita Sancti Martini by Sulpicius Severus, written in Carolingian minuscule. Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Martin of Tours, also known as Martin the Merciful, was the third bishop of Tours. He has become one of 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, 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 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.
Martin of Tours
A part of St Martin's skull in the Basilica of Saint Martin, Tours
Saint Martin Dividing his Cloak by van Dyck, c. 1618
Saint Martin and the Beggar by El Greco, c. 1577–1579
