Pilgrimage Overview:  The Final Circuit

By the time I arrived in Tours for Easter 2018, having walked past countless signs marking towns named for Saint Martin—all the way from the mouth of the Danube at the Black Sea in Romania—the idea was fixed in my heart. Walking along the Roman frontier where Martin served as a soldier in the fourth century, and then visiting many of the places significant in his life, was only the beginning of my spiritual tribute to him. I resolved to visit every town in France named in his honor. Over 300.

It would take time, constrained only by the three-month tourist visa—a mere logistical hurdle. There are more towns named for Saint Martin in France, and across Europe, than for any other saint. But do the residents of these towns know why? Do they realize that it was his exceptional virtue and character that led to his veneration as a saint upon his natural death?  Martin was a true hero, living in turbulent times marked by government instability, poor communication, economic upheaval, and mass migration, much of it driven by climate change. His story resonates just as powerfully today.

I took on this project with a clear structure.  I identified every Saint Martin town in France that I could locate on a map, defining a town as having a mairie (town hall) where I could obtain a stamp. Given the visa constraint, I divided the journey into five circuits, each beginning and ending at his tomb shrine in Tours. The circuits are approximately 3,000 km each, connecting between 56 and 67 towns. At each stop, I meet the mayor or local council and receive their stamp. 

Tapping into a tradition dating back to Charlemagne, I collect these town stamps on a goatskin, an age-old device that distinguished pilgrims as trustworthy travelers—ensuring them welcome for a night’s rest and a simple meal, rather than being mistaken for vagabonds.  A tradition lives on as long as at least one person honors it.  Each goatskin holds just enough space for the number of Martin towns in a single circuit.  One by one, as I completed each route and filled a goatskin with the unique marks of Martin towns, I donated it to the European Cultural Center of Saint Martin, preserving the tradition for future generations. 

So far, as an erstwhile ambassador for Saint Martin, I have visited 238 towns that bear his name over the course of the first four circuits.  In late August, I will set out on the fifth and final circuit to visit the remaining 67.  The itinerary is planned so that I will complete the pilgrimage on November 11, the feast day of Saint Martin, arriving once more at his tomb in Tours. Every year, the city hosts grand celebrations, drawing dozens of pilgrims from all over France and beyond, so once again, a pilgrimage that is personal is not private.  I anticipate a joyous fete.

Why Saint Martin of Tours?

Saint Martin is a universal hero—a real person who struggled with life’s hardships and became a model of virtue.  He was the first non-martyr to be canonized, recognized for his acts of compassion, tolerance, and justice.

Born in 316 in present-day Hungary, he was raised in Italy and conscripted into the Roman army at fifteen.  While stationed in Amiens, France, he famously cut his cloak in half to share with a freezing beggar.  Soon after, he had a vision of Christ and converted to Christianity.  Leaving the army, he became a disciple of Saint Hilary of Poitiers (whose tomb shrine will be encountered along the route) and eventually founded the first monastery in Europe at Ligugé  (definitely on the route for a night's stay).   Later, he was chosen—rather against his will—to become the Bishop of Tours.  Throughout his life, he traveled widely, founding churches and promoting peace. He died in 397 and was buried in Tours, where his tomb remains a major pilgrimage site and is the destination of the pilgrimage.  His position as a great hero of Europe, a guiding figure of faith and action, prompts countless pilgrims to honor him.  In addition to the 300 plus towns named for him, plus numerous hamlets and quarters, there are over 5,000 churches and chapels dedicated to him in France alone.

The Via Sancti Martini is an extensive network of pilgrim paths connecting the places important to the St Martin's life history, mostly tracing his footsteps.  These routes suitable for walking and for bicycle, are well marked and has local groups ready to support pilgrims in many ways. 

References

YouTube documentaries about St Martin

Saint Martin 1,700 Years of Sharing

St. Martin of Tours - Life Story