Saint Martin of Tours

European folk traditions

Many churches are named after Saint Martin of Tours. St Martin-in-the-Fields, at Trafalgar Square in the centre of London, has a history appropriately associated with Martin's renunciation of war. Dick Sheppard, founder of the Peace Pledge Union, was the vicar from 1914 to 1926, and the site contains a memorial chapel dedicated to him. There is also a plaque commemorating noted AnglicanpacifistVera Brittain. The steps of St Martin-in-the-Fields are often used for peace vigils.