Venantius Fortunatus writes the Life of *Martin (ascetic and bishop of Tours, ob. 397, S00050). It is an adaptation in epic verse of the Life of Martin and of books 2 and 3 of the Dialogues of Sulpicius Severus; in a final envoi, the book travels from Poitiers to Fortunatus' home city of Ravenna, stopping at the shrines of many saints along the way. Written in Latin, in Poitiers (western Gaul), between 573 and 576. Overview entry.
E08349
Literary - Hagiographical - Lives
Venantius Fortunatus
Venantius Fortunatus, Life of Martin, Vita sancti Martini (BHL 5624, CPL 1037)
Summary:
The bracketed references below are to the equivalent passages of Martin’s story in the versions by Sulpicius Severus (E00692) and by Paulinus of Périgueux (E06355 and E08130).
Prose epistle to Gregory of Tours. While excusing himself for his lack of rhetorical skills, Fortunatus declares himself ready to turn Gregory’s Miracles of Martin (De Virtutibus S. Martini) into poetry, for he has already composed a poem in four books based on Sulpicius’s Life of Martin and Dialogues. He also claims to have written his work hastily, in about six months. Finally, he writes that he will have his work copied on the parchment sheets sent by Gregory.
Preface [elegiac couplets]: Fortunatus compares his poetic endeavour to a dangerous sea voyage. Nonetheless, he states that he attempts to compose a poem in honour of Martin to fulfil the wishes of *Radegund (S00182) and Agnes (respectively founder, and first abbess of the monastery of the Holy Cross) and invites them to pray so that he may receive divine inspiration.
Book 1:
1-25: After Christ had redeemed humankind by going into Hell and ascending to Heaven, his miracles were recorded in prose. Then came Christian poetry: Fortunatus refers to Juvencus, Sedulius, Orientius, Prudentius, Paulinus [of Périgueux, though Fotunatus ascribes the previous verse Life of Martin to Paulinus of Nola], and Arator as his literary forebears.
26-49: Fortunatus downplays his poetic skills and explains that he composed the poem as a votive token of gratitude for Martin.
50-67 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 3 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 1.54-119): While still a soldier, Martin shares half of his military cloak with a beggar. This action is described as an equal sharing of warmth and cold. That night The Creator himself appeared to Martin clothed in this same garment. Martin’s military cape is ‘more valuable than the imperial purple’, it is ‘the first guarantee of his virtues and the first pledge of his love’ [1.66-67: Militis alba clamis plus est quam purpura regis, / prima haec virtutum fuit arra et pignus amoris].
68-77 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 4 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 1.140-178): While the barbarians are raiding Gaul, Martin asks to be discharged from military service, provoking the anger of Julian, and gets imprisoned. He affirms he would be the first in line – unarmed – on the battle the following day, but, surprisingly, the enemies ask for peace.
78-87 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 5.4-6 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 1.198-212): While traversing the Alps, Martin falls prey to brigands. After he is taken hostage, Martin evangelizes and converts one bandit and gets released. Fortunatus remarks that both men are saved (i.e., one gets his life spared, the other acquires eternal life as a Christian).
89-103 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 6.1-2 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 1.213-227): In the vicinity of Milan, the Devil appears to Martin and threatens that he will haunt him wherever he will go. Martin replies that, with God’s protection, he fears nothing, and the Devil disappears.
104-107 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 6.3 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 1.228-237): Martin converts his mother to Christianity.
108-122 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 6.4 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 1.238-249): Marin combats the Arian heresy and suffers public beating at the behest of heretic bishops.
123-145 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 5.1 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 1.249-259): Praises of Hilary of Poitiers (S00183), who is sent into exile to Seleucia in Phrygia.
146-154 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 6.5-6 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 1.260-284): When Martin is living as a hermit on the island of Gallinaria, in the Ligurian Sea, he eats toxic hellebore, but is saved from death through prayer.
155-158 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 7.1 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 1.285-297): Martin rejoins Hilary, who has come back from exile, and founds a monastery in Ligugé, near Poitiers.
159-178 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 7 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 1.317-365): Martin resurrects a catechumen with his prayer.
179-201 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 8 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 1.317-365): Martin resurrects the slave of Lupicinus.
202-219 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 9 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 2.15-83): A man named Rusticius pretends that his wife is suffering fever and invokes Martin’s help. But when Martin reaches Tours, he is nominated bishop by acclamation. Even if some bishops, among which a certain Defensor, oppose Martin’s election, every doubt is dispelled when a verse from Psalms (8:2) is recited in church and interpreted as a condemnation of Defensor.
220-22 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 10 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 2.84-155): Martin founds the monastery of Marmoutier
223-234 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 11 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 2.156-227): Martin reveals that a site of frequented pilgrimage is actually not the resting place of a martyr, but the grave of a bandit, and chases his evil spirit away.
235-248 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 12 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 2.228-250): Martin comes across a pagan funeral. He believes it is a procession in honour of a pagan idol and makes the sign of the cross. Those in the procession freeze and can no longer proceed. When Martin realises it is actually a funeral, he makes the sign of the cross again and let them go.
249-279 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 13 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 2.251-334): Martin is engaged in burning down an old temple and intends to cut down a pine next to it, but he is stopped by an angry crowd of rustics. It is agreed that the pine will be cut down, provided that Martin will be able to stop it when falling. Martin is placed on the trajectory the pine would fall, but, after being cut, it does not fall on Martin. Instead, the tree is halted in mid-air, it tilts in the opposite direction, and crashes on the group of pagans.
280-298 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 14.1-2 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 2.335-360): Martin orders that a pagan temple be burned down. When the fire threatens a nearby house, he climbs on the roof and prays. Then, the flames blow against the wind and spare the house.
299-324 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 14.3-7 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 2.361-429): Martin is determined to topple another pagan temple but is stopped by a mob of peasants. So, he withdraws and fasts three days. Then, two angels in arms appear to him, saying they came to support him. The crowd itself, now converted, help with destroying the pagan shrine.
325-344 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 15.1-2 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 2.430-467): A pagan peasant attempts at Martin’s life. While he is lunging against Martin and is about to strike with a sword, his body is suspended in mid-air and falls back on the ground.
345-353 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 15.3 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 2.468-475): Another attempt at Martin’s life. When a pagan is about to wound Martin with a dagger, the weapon flies from his hand.
354-360 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 15.4 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 2.476-479): With his preaching, Martin persuades pagans to demolish their shrines themselves.
361-428 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 16 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 2.480-538): When Martin is passing through Trier, the father of a young paralytic woman runs to Martin and, in front of a crowd of people, begs him to visit his daughter and heal her. After some hesitation, Martin agrees. He prays and the girl is cured.
429-449 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 17.1-4 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 2.539-574): A slave of the proconsul Tetradius is possessed by a demon. Tetradius begs Martin that he free his servant from this possession, but he refuses to enter the house of a pagan. Tetradius then promises to convert to Christianity. The servant is liberated from the demon and Tetradius becomes a catechumen.
450-471 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 17.5-7 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 2.575-601): A demon takes possession of a cook and rages against the bystanders. Martin puts his fingers in the demoniac’s mouth, daring him to bite, but he can’t. And since the way out through the mouth is blocked, the demon flees from the other end, in a discharge of diarrhoea.
472-486 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 18.1-2 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 2.602-616): A rumour spreads that barbarians are about to attack Tours. Martin orders that a demoniac be brought to him and interrogates him. The demoniac confesses that this rumour has been spread by ten demons with the intent of scaring Martin into leaving the city. Peace is restored.
487-513 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 18.3 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 2.617-649): Martin heals a leper with his kiss at the gates of Paris.
Book 2:
1-10: Fortunatus resumes his sea voyage of poetic composition and asks the Holy Spirit for a safe journey.
11-18 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 18.4-5 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 2.650-652): Martin’s fingers can cure anything they come in contact with. Even the fringes of his garment have healing power (Fimbria quin etiam quod nobilis attigit umquam, / sparsit abundantem modica de ueste salutem, […] / Sumens aeger opem per furta salubria fili, / dum nescit medicus, finit discrimina morbus. “And furthermore, whatever part the noble fringe of his garment touched at any time, it dispensed a flood of curative power out of the modest garment […] The sick got help from through cures stolen of the fabric and, while the doctor was unaware, their illness passed its crisis”; transl. by Kay 2020, p. 83).
19-37 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 19.1-2 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 2.653-689): A letter of Martin heals the daughter of the prefect Arborius from quartan fever. The girl becomes a consecrated virgin.
38-43 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 19.3 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 2.690-702): Martin heals Paulinus of Nola from an eye disease.
44-57 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 19.4 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 2.703-726): Martin falls from the top of a staircase. As he lies severely injured, an angel appears and tends his bruises.
58-121 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 20 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 3.1-143): Martin is invited to a banquet in the palace of the imperial usurper Magnus Maximus. The sumptuous display of luxurious dishes and wines arranged by Maximus leaves Martin unimpressed. He does not even recline like the other guests but remains seated. When a servant offers the first draught to Maximus, he orders that it be given to Martin, in the expectation that he will drink second, thus receiving the cup directly from the holy bishop. But Martin ignores the ruler and passes the cup to his priest, thus subverting the expectations of social hierarchy and displaying a higher authority than the emperor himself. Martin also foretells to Maximus his future fortunes and his subsequent defeat and demise in Aquileia.
122-131 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 21.1 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 3.144-151): Martin converses with angels.
132-140 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 21.1-2 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 3.152-159): Martin can discern any disguise and deceptive shape of the Devil.
141-161 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 21.2-4 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 3.160-203): The Devil appears in Martin’s cell, holding a horn of an ox covered in blood, and says that he has killed one of Martin’s people. No monk is missing, but a countryman, who had been hired to bring wood to the monastery with his wagon; is found half-dead; he tells that he had been gored by the ox, and dies.
162-178 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 22.1-2 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 3.204 -227): The Devil manifests himself under the appearance of pagan gods (Jupiter, Anubis, Venus, Minerva) and is chased away by Martin with the sign of the Cross. Demons threaten Martin with empty threats and inconsistent rumours.
179-221 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 22.3-6 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 3.228-259): The Devil taunts Martin because he admitted into his monastery monks who had formerly sinned. Martin replies that God’s mercy is infinite and even the Devil himself could be forgiven. Christ’s self-immolation on the Cross, his descent to hell and ascension to heaven are the guarantees of his salvation plan.
222-277 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 23 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 3.260-362): A virtuous and faithful young man called Clarus joins Martin’s monastery. Another man called Anatolius claims to be a prophet and to have received angelic visitations, but Clarus does not believe him. Then Anatolius asserts arrogantly that he will receive a garment from heaven to prove his virtues. During the night, a roaring din is heard. Anatolius summons a fellow monk and shows him a beautiful white tunic. Clarus too is amazed and tries to take Anatolius to Martin, but Anatolius is upset and balks. At Martin’s name, Anatolius’s candid robe vanishes, leaving him naked and revealing itself to be a demonic illusion.
278-354 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 24.4-8 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 3.363-410): While Martin is praying, the Devil appears to him disguised as a triumphant Christ. He is dressed in an imperial-like garment, with a crown, jewels, and shoes inlaid with gold. He orders Martin to worship him but Martin replies that Christ would not come back to Earth with vainglorious pomp, but rather bearing the signs of his Passion: the true triumph of Christ consists in his self-immolation on the Cross. The Devil vanishes leaving a foul smell behind.
355-390 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 25.2-5): Praise of Martin’s humility and generosity. Martin preaches that sainthood can be best attained by giving up worldly possessions. For this reason, he commends Paulinus of Nola for giving away his wealth to fully devote himself to a Christian life.
391-445 (~ Sulp. Sev. VSM 25.6-8 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 3.411-468): Moral portrait of Martin. Praise of Martin’s eloquence, doctrine, generosity, devotion, constancy, and control of passions.
446-467: Vision of heaven, visualised as a celestial senate. Martin is imagined in triumph among the heavenly hosts.
468-490: Prayer of Fortunatus to Martin. Fortunatus states once more his rhetorical inadequacy and prays Martin to intercede on his behalf for his salvation.
Book 3:
1-23: It’s a new day, the poetic sea voyage resumes. Gallus suggests the route now [i.e., the prose model is now constituted by Sulpicius’s Dialogues, also known as Gallus in Antiquity].
24-60 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 2.1.1-2.2.1 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 4.21-91): In winter, a beggar comes to the cathedral of Tours and asks for a warm piece of clothing. Martin orders the archdeacon to help the poor man and withdraws to pray in a secluded oratory. Since the archdeacon delays to do so, the poor man reaches Martin and complains. Martin then takes off his tunic, leaving on only his upper cloak (amphibalum). Subsequently, the archdeacon reminds Martin that it is time to celebrate the Mass, but Martin reminds him to “cover a naked man with clothing” (3.37 monet vestiri tegmine nudum) [referring to himself, as he is without tunic]. The archdeacon, who can only see Martin’s upper cloak, does not understand. Martin insists that no poor man in need of a garment will go missing [again, obliquely referring to himself]. Irritated because he cannot see any pauper, the deacon provides a cheap and rough robe which Martin, unseen, puts on. While he is celebrating the Eucharist, a globe of fire appears on Martin’s head, as a sign of his holy conduct.
60-73: Praise of Martin’s generosity, who is not afraid of depriving himself to help a pauper.
74-96 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 2.2.3 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 4.96-121): Evantius [Gallus’s maternal uncle] lies in bed severely ill and begs for Martin to come. While Martin is still on the way, he is restored back to health: Martin’s healing power precedes him.
97-120 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 2.2.4-7 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 4.122-147): A slave of Evantius is bitten by a snake and is in danger of dying. When Martin touches the spot of the bite, the venom flows out from the wound.
121-152 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 2.3 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 4.150-244): The animals pulling a chariot of tax collectors see Martin’s shaggy robe: they are alarmed and swerve in a different direction. The tax collectors, furious for being delayed, beat Martin up, who tolerates all the blows impassively. When they attempt to resume their travel, the animals do not budge and refuse to proceed forward. The men then ask Martin who he is, and when they find out they have assaulted the holy bishop, they repent and beg for forgiveness. Only then do the animals start moving.
153-208 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 2.4.4-9 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 4.254-286): Martin preaches among the Carnutes. His evangelizing zeal is compared to a good farmer sowing seeds and ploughing the field. A woman shows the body of her recently dead son to Martin, begging for divine help, while the inhabitants of the place join in the supplication. The boy is resurrected thanks to Martin’s prayer: the whole populace converts to Christianity.
209-246 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 2.5.5-10 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 4.292-344): Martin needs to confer with the emperor Valentinian [I], but – also at the instigation of the emperor’s Arian wife – is denied access to court. After seven days of prayer and penitence, an angel appears to Martin, telling him to go to the palace. No guard is there to block him. At Martin’s sight, Valentinian is angered and refuses to stand up to greet him. But suddenly the throne burst into flames, forcing Valentinian to jump off his seat. Realising his arrogance, he begs for Martin’s forgiveness. Subsequently, upon Martin’s departure, Valentinian offers him many gifts, which he refuses.
247-268 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 2.6 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 4.345-418): Magnus Maximus’s familiarity with Martin. Maximus’s wife prepares and serves Martin a meal, like a handmaid would do. By humbling herself for the saint, she attains a higher glory.
269-295 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 2.8.6-9 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 4.419-464): Martin stays overnight in a sacristy in a church in Claudiomagus [present day Clion]. A group of consecrated virgins collects the straw on which Martin slept. Later, a straw from Martin’s bed delivers a possessed man. The thin straw is compared to a javelin and a missile which chases demons away.
296-325 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 2.9.1-4 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 4.465-487): Martin delivers a cow possessed by a demon.
326-367 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 2.9.6 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 4.497-519): With the power of his word, Martin halts a pack of hounds chasing a hare.
368-372 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 2.10.2 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 4.533-540): A joke of Martin. When he sees a recently sheared ewe, he comments that she had two tunics and gave one to whom it lacked, thus fulfilling the Gospel’s mandate [Luke 3:11].
373-378 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 2.10.3 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 4.520-532): A saying of Martin. When he sees a swineherd, almost naked underneath a skin garment, he compares him to Adam after he was cast out of the Garden of Eden and exhorts his hearers to put on the New Adam [Eph 4:22-24].
379-387 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 2.10.4-6 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 4.541-593): Another saying of Martin. Part of a meadow has been completely dug up by pigs, another part has been eaten by oxen but still retains its grass, while the third part is covered in beautiful flowers. Martin compares the first part to adultery, the second part to marriage, the third part to virginity.
388-404 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 2.11 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 4.593-639): A former soldier, now a newly converted hermit, wishes to keep living with his wife. Martin persuades him strongly against this, arguing that ascetic life is like a battle, from which the weaker vessel should be kept apart.
405-414 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 2.13.7): Martin is frequently visited by angels.
415-429 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 2.13.8): Martin is informed by an angel about what happened at a synod held at Nîmes.
430-454 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 2.13.1-5): Heavenly visions of Martin. While Sulpicius and other disciples wait with suspense outside Martin’s cell, Martin sees *Agnes (virgin and martyr of Rome S00097), *Thecla (follower of the Apostle Paul, S00092), and *Mary (Mother of Christ, S00033). He often sees the Apostles *Peter and *Paul (S00036 and S00008). Finally, he discerns and rebukes demons who are disguised as pagan deities.
455-474: Mary is portrayed in a radiant, opulent queenly garment.
475-508: Peter is praised as the rock upon which the Church is built [Matthew 16:18], Paul as the preacher who spread the Gospel across the oikumene. They are portrayed as the consuls of the heavenly senate: their martyrdom on the same day marks the beginning of a holy time.
509-519: Martin’s vision of the heavenly Sion, which is imagined as a celestial city made of jewels, and of the saintly hosts entering it.
520-528: Conclusive peroration to Martin, a senator in the heavenly court, who is asked to intercede so that Fortunatus’s sins may be remitted.
Book 4:
1-27: It’s daybreak. Despite the initial torpor, the final part of the poetic sea voyage is approaching. Poetic composition is also compared to a difficult work of the goldsmith’s art. But there is pleasure in this toil, because Martin’s life per se constitutes a beautiful gem, and despite his self-effacing shortcomings, Fortunatus is glad to express his gratitude for Martin.
28-51 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 3.2.3-8 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 5.18-100): Near Chartres, Martin restores the voice of a young girl who was mute since birth.
52-71 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 3.3.1-4 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 5.101-188): The ill wife of count Avitianus sends a little jar of oil to be blessed by Martin. The oil increases in quantity, so that it overflows and stains the tunic of the servant carrying it. Nonetheless, the lady receives the jar completely full.
72-86 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 3.3.5-6 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 5.189-240): The same jar of oil blessed by Martin does not break after falling to the ground.
87-97 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 3.3.6-8 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 5.241-252): A disciple of Martin invokes his name to silence a rabid dog.
98-157 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 3.4 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 5.253-397): The cruel comes Avitianus visits Tours with a group of convicts sentenced to death. As soon as he knows of this, in the middle of the night, Martin sets out to confer with Avitianus. While Martin lies down in front of the closed doors of Avitianus’s residence, an angel wakes Avitianus up and incites him to open his doors to Martin. But when he tells his servants, they make fun of him, as if he had a bad dream. When Avitianus goes back to sleep, the same angel reappears and scolds him. Avitianus goes then alone to Martin and bemoans his treatment, as he feels punished in place of all his convicts. He adds that he knows Martin’s intent and asks him to leave in order not to be further tormented. Soon after, he sets all the prisoners free.
158-172 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 3.6.2-5 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 5.398-432): Whenever Martin approaches Tours, his arrival is announced by the wailing of demons and possessed people. Some people exorcised by Martin are suspended in the air, with their heads upside down; other are tortured and spontaneously confess their crimes. Other demons reveal themselves as pagan deities.
173-194 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 3.7 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 5.433-479): In the region of Sens, Martin puts an end to a recurring hail. Twenty years later, upon Martin’s passing, the hail resumes.
195-209 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 3.8.1-3 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 5.488-527): Martin delivers Avitianus from a demon sitting on his neck, by blowing at him. From then on, Avitianus, once cruel, is milder.
210-232 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 3.8.4-7 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 5.528-581): Martin orders the demolition of a pagan temple near Amboise. But since the building is too big and solid to be toppled by human hands, he withdraws in prayer. The following day, a storm destroys the temple.
233-250 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 3.9.1-2 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 5.582-607): Martin attempts to topple a column bearing a pagan idol, but he fails with his human strength. He resorts to prayer: another column [perhaps a lightning bolt] falls down from the sky upon the pagan column and crushes it.
251-271 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 3.9.3 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 5.608-615): A woman afflicted by a loss of blood touches the fringes (fimbria) of Martin’s tunic without him noticing, and is instantly healed.
272-283 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 3.9.4 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 5.616-636): Martin halts a snake swimming across a river towards him.
284-304 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 3.10.1-5 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 5.651-694): During the days of Easter, Martin is accustomed to eating some fish. When a monk tells him that he was not able to catch anything, Martin invites him to go back to the nearby Loire. There, he catches an enormous pike.
305-330 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 3.10.6 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 5.695-708): The former prefect Arborius sees shining celestial jewels appearing on Martin’s hand during the Eucharist.
331-386 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 3.11-13 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 5.709-728): A synod is summoned in Trier in the aftermath of Priscillian’s death sentence. Ithacius [Priscillian’s former accuser] is placed by the emperor Maximus under military protection, while tribunes are sent to Spain, to crush the remaining heretics, with the danger that innocent Christians too may be persecuted. Martin goes then to Trier, with the additional aim of interceding on behalf of the governor Leucadius [who belonged to Gratian’s party]. The other bishops [in league with Ithacius’s hard line against the Priscillianists] suggest to the emperor not to let Martin in the city unless he keeps communion with them. But Martin replies that he would keep the peace of Christ and refuses to join the synod initially. Upon pressure from the other bishops [fearing their authority would be undermined by Martin’s reluctancy], Maximus attempts to persuade Martin to no avail, so he dismisses Martin brusquely and gives order to unleash the executioners in Spain against everyone. When Martin realises he has no choice, he accepts to partake in the synod, despite considering the other bishops as sinners and hypocrites. Afterwards, in the vicinity of Andethanna [Echternach], while Martin is anguished by regret at having surrendered to iniquitous men, an angel appears and encourages him to gain strength from this setback. From then onwards, Martin refuses to take part in any council.
387-401 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 3.14.1 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 5.729-735): A possessed man is cured even before touching the threshold of Martin’s monastery by the sheer virtue of Martin’s presence.
402-425 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 3.14.1-2 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 5.736-786): A ship sailing through the Tyrrhenian Sea towards Rome runs into a storm. An Egyptian man, who is not yet even a Christian, invokes Martin’s name, and the storm ceases.
426-487 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 3.14.3-6 ~ Paul. Petr. VSM 5.787-856): The household of the patrician Lycontius is scourged by a disease, so he sends Martin a letter begging for help. After seven days of Martin’s prayer, all are healed. As a sign of gratitude, Lycontius offers Martin a hundred pounds of silver, which Martin refuses and asks that they be used to ransom prisoners instead.
489-519 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 3.14.7-9): On a cold day, a monk finds a stove burning outside Martin’s cell. To catch some heat, he spreads his legs exposing his groin, but Martin rebukes him from inside his cell, as if the wall were transparent.
520-571 (~ Sulp. Sev. Dial. 3.15): Taunted by a couple of demons, *Bricius (subsequent bishop of Tours, ob. 444, S01170) hurls insults at Martin, boasting that his own conduct has always been holier than Martin’s. When he comes back to his senses, he obtains Martin’s forgiveness.
572-593: Final praises of Martin and catalogues of his virtues. Martin is compared to a celestial body.
594-620: Conclusive peroration of Fortunatus, who expresses remorse for his sins and prays for salvation.
621-685: Envoi: the book’s travels. Fortunatus addresses the personified book and invites it to go on a pilgrimage. First, it will pay homage to Martin in Tours, then it will visit Paris, which was once the see of *Dionysius/Denis (bishop and martyr of Paris, S00349) and is now that of Germanus (bishop of Paris, ob. 576) (see E08484). It will then go to the tombs of *Remedius / Remigius (bishop of Reims, ob. c. 533, S00456) and of *Medard (bishop of Vermand buried at Soissons, ob. c. 560, S00168) (see E08485). From there, traversing the Rhine and the Danube, it will reach Augsburg, the resting place of the bones of *Afra (martyr of Augsburg, S01797) (see E08486). Moving south, it will cross the Alps and the Inn, and will visit a shrine of *Valentinus (possibly Valentinus of Passau, S03028) in Noricum (see E08487). Subsequently, the pilgrim book will go to Aquileia and will venerate the Cantiani (martyrs of Aquileia, S01552) and *Fortunatus (martyrs of Aquileia, S01164) (see E08488). In Aquileia, it will also greet its bishop, Paul, an old acquaintance of Fortunatus the author. In Concordia, it will visit *Augustinus and Basilius (perhaps saints of Concordia, S03029), and in Treviso greet Felix, who received a healing grace together with Fortunatus (see E08489). It will then head to Ceneda and to Fortunatus’s native Duplavilis. From there, it will reach Padua and visit the church of *Iustina (virgin and martyr of Padua S02321), in which a wall displays scenes of Martin’s life (see E08490). There, it will also pay respect to bishop Iohannes and his sons, who are also old friends of Fortunatus. Finally, it will arrive in Ravenna and venerate the tombs of *Vitalis (martyr of Ravenna, S02825) and *Ursicinus (martyr of Ravenna, S01408), and will also visit the church of *Apollinaris (bishop and martyr of Ravenna, S00331) (see E08491).
696-701: Fortunatus’s own miracle story. The book’s travel culminates in Martin’s chapel in the church of *Iohannes and Paulus (brothers and eunuchs, martyrs of Rome under the emperor Julian, S00384). Here, years earlier, Fortunatus touched his ailing eyes with the blessed oil used for a lamp burning in a chapel dedicated to Martin, and his sight was restored (see $E08483).
702-712: Fortunatus invites his friends in Ravenna to compose new poems to further disseminate the deeds and the cult of Martin, even though he is such a great saint that he would not need to be flattered with praise: his fame resounds throughout the world.
Text: Kay 2020; Quesnel 2002 (19961)
Summary: Lorenzo Livorsi, using Kay 2020 and Quesnel 2002
Cult building - independent (church)
Use of ImagesPublic display of an image
Non Liturgical ActivityPilgrimage
Visiting graves and shrines
Composing and translating saint-related texts
MiraclesMiracle after death
Healing diseases and disabilities
RelicsContact relic - oil
Source
Venantius Fortunatus was born in northern Italy, near Treviso, and educated at Ravenna. In the early 560s he crossed the Alps into Merovingian Gaul, where he spent the rest of his life, making his living primarily through writing Latin poetry for the aristocracy of northern Gaul, both secular and ecclesiastical. His first datable commission in Gaul is a poem to celebrate the wedding in 566 of the Austrasian royal couple, Sigibert and Brunhild. His principal patrons were *Radegund (S00182) and Agnes, the royal founder and the first abbess of the monastery of the Holy Cross at Poitiers, as well as Gregory, the historian and bishop of Tours, Leontius, bishop of Bordeaux, and Felix, bishop of Nantes, but he also wrote poems for several kings and for many other members of the aristocracy. In addition to occasional poems for his patrons, Fortunatus wrote this four-book epic poem about Martin of Tours, and several works of prose and verse hagiography. The latter part of his life was spent in Poitiers, and in the 590s he became bishop of the city; he is presumed to have died early in the 7th century. For Fortunatus' life, see Brennan 1985; George 1992, 18-34; Reydellet 1994-2004, vol. 1, vii-xxviii; Di Brazzano 2001, 15-38; Pietri and Heijmans 2013, 801-22, 'Fortunatus'.Fortunatus' Life of Martin - the circumstances of its composition and its date:
Fortunatus composed his Vita Sancti Martini (VSM) at the behest of Radegund and Agnes, as he makes clear in the verse preface in elegiac couplets addressed to these aristocratic nuns:
Sic ego de modicis minimus, venerabilis Agnes
cum Radegunde sacra, quas colo sorte pia,
tendere pollicitum quia cogor ad ardua gressum,
imperiis tantis viribus impar agor.
'Thus I, the smallest of the small, O venerable Agnes and holy Radegund, whom I respectfully revere, because I am obliged to forge a path to the heights as I promised, am driven on by your weighty command, unsuited by my capabilities though I am.'
(Ven. Fort., Mart. praef. II 27–30. Translation: Kay 2020, 45, lightly modified)
In addition, one manuscript (Vat. Pal. Lat. 845 = N) transmits a prose letter to Gregory of Tours usually regarded as a dedication letter (although this idea is challenged by Kay 2020, 2-4). Hence, the terminus post quem must fall around Gregory’s accession to the episcopal see of Tours in September 573 (whether in early 573 on in late 573, depending on how one interprets the letter itself). A definite terminus ante quem is provided by the death of Germanus, bishop of Paris, in April 576, who is referred to as still alive in VSM 4.637.
Beside Radegund and Agnes’ concrete request to turn Sulpicius Severus’ VSM and Dialogues into epic poetry (roughly one century after Paulinus of Périgueux had done the same - see E06355), Fortunatus presents a more personal reason for devoting this ambitious poem to Martin. In the concluding envoi, Fortunatus addresses the personified book and invites it to go on a pilgrimage to several martyrial sites on a route from Tours to his native Ravenna. The book’s travels culminate in Martin’s chapel in the Ravennate church of *Iohannes and Paulus (eunuch brothers, martyred under the emperor Julian, S00384) [Chiesa dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo] (see E08483). Here, years earlier, Fortunatus had touched his ailing eyes with the oil in a lamp burning before an image of Martin painted on the wall, and his sight was restored (VSM 4.686-701). In addition, the concluding sections of books 2, 3 and 4 are punctuated with Fortunatus’ prayers for Martin to intercede on behalf of his sins (2.468-490, 3.520-528, 4.594-620). Thus, Fortunatus’ VSM constitutes a poetic devotional offering.
Manuscript transmission:
For a thorough discussion of the manuscript transmission of Fortunatus’ VSM and the establishment of the text, see Leo 1881, xxii-xxiii; Quesnel 2002, lxxv-lxxxiii; and Kay 2020, 23-37: despite including new manuscripts each, their stemmata do not differ substantially. I confine myself to pointing out that the manuscripts fall roughly into two categories: 1) anthologies of texts centred on Martin of Tours, alongside Sulpicius Severus, Paulinus of Périguex, Gregory of Tours, and the epigraphic sylloge of Tours, 2) miscellaneous anthologies, alongside Fortunatus’ Carmina and other late antique Christian poetry, the most extravagant being arguably P (Petropolitanus F XIV 1), which has a remarkably different arrangement from any other manuscript. Thus, the different text arrangement of the manuscripts reflects varying interests in the subject matter. In addition, there is evidence of lost manuscripts, such as the Treverensis upon which Christoph Brower based his 1607 edition of Fortunatus, which included not only the VSM, but also the prose letter to Gregory of Tours that is currently transmitted by just one other manuscript.
Discussion
In comparison to the other poetic works of Fortunatus, the VSM has remained relatively at the margin of scholarly interest, although this gap is luckily now filled in part by the commentary of Kay 2020, albeit limited to the first half of the poem. Those interested in the history of Martin’s cult have shown little interest or even sympathy towards the VSM. Thus, for instance, Pietri 1983, 743 qualifies Fortunatus’ VSM as 'a mere literary exercise' ('un pur exercice littéraire'), as, in her view, it does not add anything to the ideology of the saint at Tours (her 'idéologie tourangelle'), according to which Martin was Gaul’s greatest saint and the bishops of Tours deserved special recognition, while McKinley 2006 makes almost no reference to Fortunatus’ VSM. In comparison, the sixth book of Paulinus' VSM and Gregory’s four books of Miracles of Martin might appear richer in hard historical facts.In fact, Fortunatus’ Martin differs considerably from that of Sulpicius Severus and Paulinus. Nazzaro (1997 and 2003) compared selected episodes of Fortunatus’ VSM with Sulpicius Severus, while Labarre 1998 has provided an extensive comparison of the Lives of Martin by Paulinus and by Fortunatus. Both Labarre and, more briefly, Zarini 2009 have identified a stronger tendency to spiritualised meditation and to epigrammatic expression as stylistic markers of Fortunatus’ poem. Roberts (2001 and 2002) has studied Fortunatus’ VSM in terms of continuity and innovation with the earlier epic tradition and from the point of view of paraphrastic technique and biblical figura-theory. De Nie (1997) has discussed Fortunatus’ VSM in the context of the cult of icons and has persuasively highlighted the visionary and ecstatic features of the poem. Pollmann 2017 has argued that, for Paulinus, Martin is primarily a tool of God’s agency in the world: accordingly, he owes his power first and foremost to God’s intercession. In contrast, Fortunatus emphasises Martin’s role as a mediator between heaven and earth to the point of 'eclipsing' God as the almost exclusive recipient of praise. More recently, in Livorsi 2023, I have discussed the poem’s intertextual engagement with the panegyrical and epic genres, starting from a predominantly literary analysis and coming to some wider conclusions of cultural history.
Although apparently almost devoid of new historical facts, Fortunatus does adapt his Martin to the cultural-religious milieu of sixth-century Tours, as best seen in the concluding sections of books 2, 3, and 4 (2.446-490, 3.520-528, 4.572-620). Hence, Fortunatus’ VSM displays two apparently opposite but complementary portrayals of Martin. During his life on earth, Martin is a humble monk-bishop who practices poverty and is not afraid of criticising the vain trappings of deceptive earthly potentates, whereas in heaven he shines as a glorious senator in the court of heaven. Emblems of traditional power are detached from immediate political referents and redeployed instead to express Martin’s intercessory power as a patron saint (Livorsi 2023, chapters 1-2).
This ennoblement of Martin’s figure aligns with Fortunatus’ socio-historical context. For Fortunatus, Martin is primarily a bishop rather than a monk-hermit: this is consistent with the increasingly prominent role played by bishops in Merovingian society, and there are numerous coincidences between Martin’s virtues (such as generosity, pastoral care for the poor, defence of orthodoxy etc.) and the portrayal of the ideal bishop emerging from Fortunatus’ own praise poems for contemporary bishops (Livorsi 2023, chapters 3,4, 6, 8).
Another fascinating feature of Fortunatus’ VSM lies in the fact that Fortunatus corrects and replaces doctrinally dubious phrases and passages of Sulpicius Severus with new sections which better fit sixth-century theology. For instance, Fortunatus replaces a prophecy of Martin on the imminent coming of the Antichrist (which appeared questionable already in the early fourth century) with a vision of the saints inhabiting the heavenly Jerusalem, followed by a prayer to the celestial senator Martin – a new development which corresponds to a new theological understanding of eschatology and saintly intercession (Ven. Fort., VSM 3.509-528; Livorsi 2023, chapter 7).
In addition, it is possible to demonstrate that the readership constituted by the nuns of Sainte-Croix determines the adaptation of some passages of the prose model (Sulpicius Severus) to the cultic environment of Poitiers, as well as the omission of at least one passage (Livorsi, forthcoming).
Finally, Fortunatus presents himself as both a beneficiary and a promoter of Martin’s miracles, as the final miracle to be narrated is the one experienced by the author himself. Fortunatus states that he was suffering from a severe eye illness and sought remedy in the church in Ravenna of Iohannes and Paulus, where there was a chapel dedicated to Martin, with an image and a lamp burning next to it. Fortunatus smeared his eyes with the blessed oil from the lamp and his sight was restored (VSM 4.686-701; discussion of this section in Livorsi 2023, 180-185). Thus, Fortunatus’ VSM provides a valuable counterpiece to Gregory’s Miracles of Martin: while the latter conveys the point of view of the bishop who administered the cult, the former offers a testimony of a special miraculé who places himself under Martin’s protection.
Bibliography
Editions:Di Brazzano, S. (ed.), Venanzio Fortunato. Opere/1 (Roma: Città Nuova, 2001).
Leo, F., Venanti Honorii Clementiani Fortunati presbyteri italici opera poetica, (Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Auctores Antiquissimi 4.1: Berlin, 1881).
Quesnel, S., Venance Fortunat, Œuvres IV. La Vie de Saint Martin, (Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 1996; 2nd edition 2002). [With French translation]
Translations:
Fels, W., Venantius Fortunatus: Vita Sancti Martini - Das Leben des Heiligen Martin (Stuttgart: Hiersemann, Mittellateinische Bibliothek 2, 2020).
Mazzoccato, G., Venanzio Fortunato: Vita di San Martino (Treviso: Piazza, 2005).
Palermo, G. (1995), Venanzio Fortunato: Vita di San Martino di Tours (Rome: Città Nuova, Collana di testi patristici 57, 1995).
Further reading:
Brennan, B., "The Career of Venantius Fortunatus," Traditio 41 (1985), 49-78.
George, J., Venantius Fortunatus: A Latin Poet in Merovingian Gaul (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1992).
Labarre, S., Le manteau partagé. Deux métamorphoses poétiques de la Vie de Saint Martin chez Paulin de Périgueux (Ve siècle) et Venance Fortunat (VIe siècle) (Turnhout: Brepols, 1998).
Livorsi, L., Venantius Fortunatus’ Life of St Martin: Verse Hagiography between Epic and Panegyric (Bari: Edipuglia, 2023).
Livorsi, L., "Poetic Paraphrase with an Audience: Venantius Fortunatus’ Life of St Martin and the Ladies of the Abbey Sainte-Croix in Poitiers," in S. Filosini (ed.), Poetic Rewritings in the Latin West from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages (Turnhout: Brepols, forthcoming).
McKinley, A. S., "The First Two Centuries of Martin of Tours," Early Medieval Europe 14 (2006), 173-200.
Nazzaro, A. V., "L’agiografia martiniana di Sulpicio Severo e le parafrasi epiche di Paolino di Périgueux e Venanzio Fortunato," in M. L. Silvestre and M. Squillante (eds.), Mutatio Rerum: Letteratura, filosofia, scienza tra tardo antico e altomedioevo (Naples: La città del sole, 1997), 301-346.
Nazzaro, A. V., "La Vita Martini di Sulpicio Severo e la parafrasi esametrica di Venanzio Fortunato," in Venanzio Fortunato e il suo tempo (Treviso: Fondazione Cassamarca, 2003), 171-210.
Pietri, L., La ville de Tours du IVe au VIe siècle. Naissance d'une cité chrétienne (Rome, École française de Rome, 1983).
Pietri, L. and Heijmans, M., Prosopographie chrétienne du Bas-Empire, 4 Prosopographie de la Gaule chrétienne (314-614), 2 vols. (Paris 2013).
Pollmann, K., "How Far Can Sainthood Go? St Martin of Tours in Two Hagiographical Epics of Late Antiquity," in ead., The Baptized Muse (Oxford, OUP, 2017), 191-214 [= updated English translation of Pollmann, "Kontiguität und Eklipse: zwei Auffassungen von Heiligkeit im hagiographischen Epos der lateinischen Spätantike," in T. Kobusch and M. Erler (eds.), Metaphysik und Religion: zur Signatur des spätantiken Denkens (Munich – Leipzig, 2002), 611-638].
Roberts, M., "The Last Epic of Antiquity: Generic Continuity and Innovation in the Vita Sancti Martini of Venantius Fortunatus," Transactions of the American Philological Association 131 (2001), 257-285.
Roberts, M., "Venantius Fortunatus’ Life of St. Martin," Traditio 57 (2002), 129-187.
Roberts, M., The Humblest Sparrow: The Poetry of Venantius Fortunatus (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2009).
Rosada, Guido, "Il “viaggio” di Venanzio Fortunato ad Turones: il tratto di Ravenna ai Breonum loca e la strada per submontana castella," in T. Ragusa and B. Termite (eds.), Venanzio Fortunato tra Italia e Francia. Atti del Convegno internazionale di studi. Valdobbiadene, 17 maggio 1990-Treviso, 18-19 maggio 1990 (Treviso: Provincia di Treviso, 1993), 25-57.
Rosada, G., "Venanzio Fortunato e le vie della devozione," in Venanzio Fortunato e il suo tempo (Treviso: Fondazione Cassamarca, 2003), 331-362.
Zarini, V.,"Pouvoir et religion dans les premières biographies de Saint Martin," Revue des Études Latines 87 (2009), 178-189.
Lorenzo Livorsi
31/07/2023
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00008 | Paul, the Apostle | Paulus | Certain | S00033 | Mary, Mother of Christ | Maria | Certain | S00036 | Peter, the Apostle | Petrus | Certain | S00050 | Martin, ascetic and bishop of Tours, ob. 397 | Martinus | Certain | S00092 | Thekla, follower of the Apostle Paul | Thecla | Certain | S00097 | Agnes, virgin and martyr of Rome | Agnes | Certain | S00168 | Medard, bishop of Vermand buried at Soissons, ob. c. 560 | Medardus | Certain | S00331 | Apollinaris, bishop and martyr of Ravenna | Apollinaris | Certain | S00349 | Dionysius/Denis, bishop and martyr of Paris, and his companions Rusticus and Eleutherius | Dionysius | Certain | S00384 | Iohannes and Paulus, brothers and eunuchs, martyrs of Rome under the emperor Julian | Iohanes Paulus | Certain | S00456 | Remigius, bishop of Reims, ob. c. 533 | Remedius | Certain | S01164 | Felix and Fortunatus, brothers, martyrs of Aquileia and Vicenza | Fortunatus | Certain | S01166 | Germanus, bishop of Paris, ob. 576 | Germanus | Certain | S01170 | Bricius, bishop of Tours (north-west Gaul), ob. 444 | Bricius | Certain | S01408 | Ursicinus, martyr of Ravenna | Ursicinus | Certain | S01552 | Cantius, Cantianus and Cantianilla, martyrs of Aquileia | Cantiani | Certain | S01797 | Afra, martyr of Augsburg | Afra | Certain | S02321 | Iustina, virgin and martyr of Padua | Iustina | Certain | S02826 | Vitalis, martyr of Ravenna | Vitalis | Certain | S03028 | Valentinus, perhaps Valentinus of Passau | Valentinus | Certain | S03029 | Augustinus and Basilius, possibly saints of Concordia | Augustinus Basilius | Certain |
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Lorenzo Livorsi, Cult of Saints, E08349 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E08349