St. Martin of Tours is famous for sharing his cloak with a man who was begging in the cold, but his faithful life also included standing up to the Roman Caesar as a conscientious objector and his election as bishop by popular acclaim.

Martin’s father was a soldier, an officer in the Roman army, and the family relocated several times to accompany him on different assignments. Because Martin was the son of a veteran, at the age of 15, he was forcibly enlisted into the army, though he lived more like a monk than a soldier.

One day, during a severe winter, he met a poor man who was begging near the gate to the city. The man was almost naked and was trembling with cold. Martin felt called to help the man but had nothing with him. He drew his sword and cut his army cloak in two—wrapping himself in what was left and giving the beggar the other half.

That night, Martin had a dream in which he saw Jesus himself dressed in the half of the cloak that he had cut. “Martin has covered me with his garment,” he heard Jesus say. Martin had been learning the faith, but was not yet baptized—after that dream, he rushed to complete his initiation into the Church.

As a soldier, he was called upon to fight the barbarians in Gaul, but he refused. He appeared before Caesar before deployment and told him, “I am a soldier of Christ and it is not lawful for me to fight.” The emperor was furious and accused Martin of being a coward. Martin replied that he was willing to advance alone upon the enemy without any weapons. He was thrown into prison.

When he was released, he went to Poitiers, where St. Hilary—now a saint and doctor of the Church—was the bishop. Martin followed Hilary and joined his work in opposing heretical strains of the Christian faith.

After a great deal of travel, Martin wanted to pursue holiness in solitude. Hilary gave him a portion of land where he could live as a hermit. Others joined Martin there and he established a monastery. He lived there for 10 years, preaching through the region and working miracles.

In 371 the people of nearby Tours demanded that Martin become their bishop. He refused, so they tricked him: they invited him to the town to visit a sick person, and when he arrived, they kidnapped him and delivered him to the church, where other bishops were ready to ordain him. Martin was in poor shape—unkempt and wearing worn-out, humble clothes—and the bishops thought he was not fit for this role, but the people clamored for his ordination.

As bishop, Martin tried to live in a cell attached to the church but was often interrupted, so he moved to the countryside. Again, many others joined him there, so he established another monastery. He opposed paganism in the region, confronting idolatry, preaching, and working miracles to spread the faith. Many other signs and prophecies were attributed to Martin. He advocated for the imprisoned and begged for mercy for those awaiting execution.

Martin died of an illness in old age on Nov. 8, 397, and was buried on this date that year. His relics rest in the reliquary chapel and he is shown sharing his cloak in this stained glass image from the chapel in Geddes Hall.

St. Martin of Tours, generous soldier who saw Christ even in the poorest beggar—pray for us!