Via Sancti Martini

From the Roman garrison town of Savaria to the great basilica of Tours, the Via Sancti Martini traces the extraordinary life of the soldier who became a saint. Martin of Tours - who shared his cloak with a beggar, renounced the sword for Christ, and became one of medieval Europe's most beloved saints - left his footprints across the continent, from his Hungarian birthplace to his French episcopal see.

📜 History & Significance

Martin of Tours (c. 316-397) was born in Savaria (modern Szombathely, Hungary) to a Roman military family. After his famous encounter with the beggar at Amiens - when he cut his cloak in half to share with a freezing man, then saw Christ wearing the cloak in a dream - he left the army and devoted himself to the Church.

He founded the first monastery in Gaul at Ligugé, became Bishop of Tours despite his reluctance, and revolutionized Western Christianity through his example of apostolic simplicity. His tomb at Tours became one of the great pilgrimage destinations of medieval Europe, and the route connecting sites of his life was designated a Council of Europe Cultural Route in 2005.

🥾 Route Overview

The Via Sancti Martini stretches approximately 2,500 km from Szombathely in Hungary to Tours in France, typically requiring 3-4 months to walk in its entirety. The route passes through Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, and France, connecting the major sites of Martin's life.

From Szombathely, the path leads through northern Italy (including Pavia, where Martin spent his youth) before crossing the Alps into France. The French section passes through Amiens (site of the cloak incident), Ligugé (his first monastery), and finally Tours, where he served as bishop and was buried.

☩ Key Pilgrimage Sites

The Basilica of St Martin in Tours, rebuilt in the 19th century after the Revolution, marks the saint's burial place and the goal of medieval pilgrimage. Nearby Candes-Saint-Martin preserves the place where Martin died in 397.

Ligugé Abbey, which Martin founded around 360, still houses a monastic community - the oldest monastery in the West. In Szombathely, the Iseum Savariense and the modern St Martin's Church mark his Hungarian origins.