Saint Martial

Saint Martial (3rd century), called "the Apostle of the Gauls" or "the Apostle of Aquitaine", was the first bishop of Limoges. His feast day is June 30.

Life

There is no accurate information as to the origin, dates of birth and death, or the acts of this bishop. According to Gregory of Tours, during the time of the Emperors Decius and Gratius (AD 250-251), Pope Fabian sent out seven bishops from Rome to Gaul to preach the Gospel: Gatien to Tours, Trophimus to Arles, Paul to Narbonne, Saturnin to Toulouse, Denis to Paris, Austromoine to Clermont, and Martial to Limoges. He succeeded in converting the inhabitants to Christianity, and his memory has always been venerated there.

Abbey

Martial died in Limoges was buried outside the Roman town. As his tomb became progressively more important as a pilgrimage site, the monks found patronage in the Benedictine order in the 9th century. The site became the Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Martial, a great library (second only to the library at Cluny) and scriptorium. The 12th-century chronicler Geoffroy du Breuil of Vigeois worked in its library.

Saint Martial (disambiguation)

Saint Martial may refer to:

Saint Martial is the name of several communes in France:

It is also part of the name of several communes of France:

Martial

Marcus Valerius Martialis (known in English as Martial /ˈmɑːrʃəl/) (March, between 38 and 41 AD – between 102 and 104 AD), was a Roman poet from Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula) best known for his twelve books of Epigrams, published in Rome between AD 86 and 103, during the reigns of the emperors Domitian, Nerva and Trajan. In these short, witty poems he cheerfully satirises city life and the scandalous activities of his acquaintances, and romanticises his provincial upbringing. He wrote a total of 1,561, of which 1,235 are in elegiac couplets. He is considered to be the creator of the modern epigram.

Early life

Knowledge of his origins and early life are derived almost entirely from his works, which can be more or less dated according to the well-known events to which they refer. In Book X of his Epigrams, composed between 95 and 98, he mentions celebrating his fifty-seventh birthday; hence he was born during March 38, 39, 40 or 41 AD (x. 24, 1), under Caligula or Claudius. His place of birth was Augusta Bilbilis (now Calatayud) in Hispania Tarraconensis. His parents, Fronto and Flaccilla, appear to have died in his youth.

Martial (disambiguation)

Martial was a 1st-century Roman poet.

Martial may also refer to:

People

Other uses

See also

Martial (horse)

Martial (foaled 1957) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. In 1960 he became the first horse trained in Ireland to win the British Classic 2000 Guineas Stakes.

Background

Martial, a massive chestnut horse, was bred by Captain A. D. Rogers' Airlie Stud in Ireland. He was by far the most successful horse sired by the 1952 Kentucky Derby winner, Hill Gail. Martial's dam Discipliner showed no talent as a racehorse but was an excellent broodmare: in addition to Martial she produced the leading sprinters Skymaster (Stewards' Cup) and El Gallo (Cork and Orrery Stakes). His damsire Court Martial defeated Dante in the 1945 2000 Guineas and was twice the Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland.

As a yearling, Martial was sent to the September sales in Dublin, where he was bought for 2,400 guineas by the trainer Paddy Prendergast on behalf of the American financier Reginald N. Webster.

Racing career

As a two-year-old, Martial showed promise when winning a race at the Curragh and then traveling to England to contest the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot. Martial won the race but was badly jarred by running on the exceptionally firm ground and did not race again that season.