Saint Martin of Vertou (527–601) was a hermit and abbot, founder of Vertou Abbey, and the evangelist of the region around

Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...

in Francia. He is sometimes known as the Apostle of the Herbauges.

Life

Martin was distinguished by his virtue, learning, and talent.Monks of Ramsgate. “Martin of Vertou”. ''Book of Saints'', 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 25 November 2014
/ref> He was ordained by

Saint Felix Felix is a given name that stems from Latin (genitive ) and means "happy" or "lucky". Its other form is Felicity (given name), Felicity. In German, Dutch, Czech, Slovenian, Romanian and Scandinavian languages the form "Felix" is the same as E ...

, Bishop of Nantes, who also made him

archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that o ...

of the church of Nantes and charged him with converting the inhabitants of the town and the surrounding area to Christianity. In about 577, he withdrew into solitude in an area of wasteland on the right bank of the Sèvre Nantaise. Gradually, as people were drawn to him by his sanctity, he built a church and enlarged his hermitage, which became Vertou Abbey. He also founded other religious communities, including Durieu Abbey, where he died in 601 at the age of seventy-four.The foundation of the abbey of Saint-Jouin de Marnes is also often attributed to him, but it was apparently an older foundation which had been abandoned, and which in 843 the monks of Vertou occupied when they were displaced by the invasions of the Normans. There is a legend that he planted his pilgrim's staff in the middle of the abbey courtyard at Vertou and that it took root, growing into a

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tree, which appears on the

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

of the commune of Vertou. His feast day is 24 October.

References

Sources

Catholic.org (Saints and Angels): Martin of Vertou

Medieval Breton saints 7th-century Christian saints 527 births 601 deaths 6th-century Breton people {{france-saint-stub