Inscription on a pottery vessel referring to 'balsam oil of Lord *Martin' (ascetic and bishop of Tours, ob. 397, S00050), found in the ruins of a Roman villa at Saint-Martin-de-Fraigneau in the Vendée (western Gaul). Current location unknown, but recorded in a 19th c. engraving; probably 5th/6th c.
Evidence ID
E08611
Type of Evidence
Archaeological and architectural - Extant reliquaries and related fixtures
Inscriptions - Inscribed objects
Inscription on a pottery jar:
☩ D(omi)ni Martini antistis balsamu(m) ol(eum) <palm branch>
pro benedictione
'Balsam oil of Lord Martin the bishop.
As a blessing.'
The inscription as published by Lecoy de la Marche opens with the words 'Divi Martini'; but Pietri is surely correct that this is a misreading of 'D(omi)ni Martini'.
Text: Lecoy de la Marche 1890, 455 and 457, fig. 59.
Translation: Bryan Ward-Perkins.
Relics
Contact relic - oil
Cult Related ObjectsAmpullae, flasks, etc.
Source
The inscription was scratched onto the neck and shoulder of a black-glossed pottery vessel: 'un vase de terre couvert d'une glaçure noire, portant, tracé à la pointe, quelques mots ...'. The current location of the vessel is unknown, but it was published in 1890, accompanied by a detailed drawing, by Lecoy de la Marche (p. 457, fig. 59; see Image).Lecoy de la Marche records that the vessel was found in 1865 in the ruins of a Roman villa at Saint-Martin-de-Fraigneau, along with ('avec') coins of Honorius (r. 393-423) and Majorian (r. 457-461), though he does not specify that the vessel and coins were closely associated. The fact it was whole, suggests that the vessel was deliberately deposited, rather than discarded.
Though known only from the published drawing, this looks like a genuine antique vessel with a genuine inscription. Lecoy de la Marche (p. 458, note 3) attributed it to the 5th or 6th century, which seems plausible. The dating could probably be refined by someone well versed in the pottery and epigraphy of late-antique western Gaul.
Discussion
Thanks to Gregory of Tours, the use of oil from the shrine of Martin at Tours to cure disabilities and illnesses is well recorded, not only at the shrine itself, but also at a distance, by people who had taken some away with them (see E02316, E02547, E03542 and E05949). This pottery jar is the only known physical trace of this practice. Pietri hypothesises that the inscription was an official validation of the contents of the jar, added by the ecclesiastical authorities at Martin's shrine. This could well be the case, though, in the absence of other similar vessels, it is impossible to prove.Relics and sanctified material from a shrine are frequently described by Gregory as 'blessings' (benedictiones), sometimes with exactly the wording used here: describing them 'as a blessing' (pro benedictione) (Pietri p. 590 note 285 collects all the examples; see, for instance, E00065 and E02925). The same terminology, again sometimes with exactly the same phrase (pro benedictione) as on our jar, is found in 6th and 7th c. papal correspondence (see, for instance, E00615 and E06345). The word εὐλογίαι/eulogiai ('blessings') is also frequently used in the Greek East for sanctified objects from shrines: relics, contact-relics and pilgrim tokens.
Bibliography
Edition:Lecoy de la Marche, A., Saint Martin, 2nd edition (Tours, 1890), 455-458.
Further reading:
Pietri, L., La ville de Tours du IVe au VIe siècle: naissance d’une cite chrétienne (Collection de l’École française de Rome 69; Rome 1983), 586-587.
Images
)
Pottery vessel with inscription recording 'balsam oil of Lord Martin the bishop'. From Lecoy de la Marche 1890, p.457, fig.59
Record Created By
Bryan Ward-Perkins
Date of Entry
14/01/2026
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00050 | Martin, ascetic and bishop of Tours, ob. 397 | Certain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Bryan Ward-Perkins, Cult of Saints, E08611 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E08611