Saint Martin of Braga: A Bridge between East and West

Fabio Lins Leite - Orthodox-Roman Seminar - Fr. Thomas FitzGerald

Introduction

There is no easily found material in English or Portuguese about the contact of the Byzantine

Empire with the Far West, that is that region of Europe that would later be known as Portugal

and Spain. That is easily understandable since the move of the center of the Empire to the East is,

by definition, a movement away from the West which had become strategically indefensible

from Germanic invasions and economically less relevant.

Nevertheless, despite the fact that at the state level the double-headed eagle seemed to already be

in the process of becoming two different birds, at least at Church and lay people level this

process was still far from its later sad outcome. There were exchanges going on and one of the

most interesting ones is that of the mission of Saint Martin of Braga, or Saint Martin of Dume,

from the East to Lusitania, the region that would later be Portugal.

In the VI century, with the definitive schism still half a millennium away we see Saint Martin

travel from his homeland, Panonia (present day Hungary) to Constantinople to get an education,

then to go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem where he is informed about the situation in the Far West

and understands God had a calling for him to go missionize there. On the way, he stays for some

time in Rome and in France, where he visits the tomb of his patron saint, St. Martin of Tours,

then going to the ancient see of Braga. There he founds a monastery that is eventually elevated to
a diocese. After being the first bishop of Dume, he is elevated to Archbishop of Braga, presiding

over the second local council of the archdiocese against the heresy of Priscilianism. He struggled

fiercely and was successful in converting the Suebis from Arianism to the Church and against

inumerous pagan superstitions of the people, among which he included giving week days the

names of pagan gods. In fact, Portuguese is one of the few European languages where all week

days are named after the weekly liturgical cycle and not after pagan gods, an idea St. Martin

brought from Constantinople.

Saint Gregory of Tours would acknowledge Saint Martin of Braga profound holiness and deep

academic knowledge calling him plenus virtutibus ("full of virtue") and in tantum se litteris

imbuit ut nulli secundus sui temporis haberetur ("he so instructed himself in learning that he was

considered second to none in his lifetime"). An Eastern scholar missionizing in what was the

farthest West possible, with no known signs of conflict, with no concept of tradition of the West

and of the East, just, the tradition of the One Church.

Portugal Before the Moors

The region that would later become Portugal has evidence of human occupation as far back as 35

thousand years ago. From that time up to the romanization process that started in the 3rd century

B.C. different peoples inhabited the area. When Romans arrived, they found major opposition

from the Lusitanians, under the leader Viriathus. Even today, Lusitan can be used as synonym

for Portuguese and the group of peoples and countries that speak Portuguese are called

Lusophones, although the language of the original Lusitanians most certainly was not the Latin

of the Roman invaders. After years of war with Viriathus forces, the Romans decided to bribe

his ambassadors who on return betrayed and killed their former leader, putting an end to local

resistance to Rome. By this period, Rome had managed to also conquer former Carthaginian

colonies in the land. The full romanization of the region would take yet 300 years.

By the year 20 BC, the emperor founds the city Bracara Augusta, which would later become

Braga. In the 3rd century AD, Diocletianus made the city capital of the administrative region.

With the Germanic invasions, the city was conquered first by the Suebi and later by the

Visigoths. It is in this Germanic period that lived Paulo Orosius (375-418 AD), a correspondent

of St. Augustin and later St. Martin of Braga himself. In the 8th century the area was conquered

by the Moors, under whose reign the city fell into decline. It was to be freed centuries later, in

1040, during the process known as the Reconquista, at which point it no longer had a bishop. The

first bishop after the expulsion of the Moors was enthroned only in 1070, now under clear

influence of the medieval papacy.

Concerning the Christianization of the region, there is sparse data for the first centuries. Irenaeus

of Lyon and later Tertullian are some of the first sources to mention a living Church in the region

of Hispania, that includes both todays Spain and Portugal. If the third and fourth century left us

little information, it almost disappears in the 5th century with no recorded documents. This gap

is then met by a sudden comparative multitude of documents in the 6th century. It is in the 6th

century that we will have the first and second councils of Braga and the arrival of St. Martin.

Several saints are attributed to Portugal, though, even since those first centuries.

Of course, according to local hagiography the first saint in the region would have been none

other than St. James, the Great, himself, brother of St. John, who would have initiated the

apostolic mission in the Peninsula. Critics note that he was martyred in Judea in 44 A.D., but

local tradition says that fulfilling the Great Commission he had gone to the farthest West and

only returned to the Middle East due to a request from an apparition of the Virgin Mary.

One of his alleged missions occurred at Serra de Rates, in the current municipality of Pvoa de

Varzim. During his visit, the Apostle is said to have ordained the local Peter of Rates as the first

bishop of Braga, today known as St. Peter of Rates, Archbishop of Braga (April, 26). This is

probably a myth, given that it is known that Saint James was celebrating Easter in Jerusalem

precisely in this year. It might have been the case, though, that the year attributed to the visit is

what is wrong there. It is believed that Saint Peter of Rates was beheaded while converting pagan

Romans.
The very first Orthodox saint born in pre-Portuguese lands was St. Basil, Bishop of Braga. (May

23). Soon after him, St. Paul, St. Heracleus, St. Secondilla and St.Januarius of Oporto found

holiness in Christ (March 02 for all three). St.Verissimus, St.Maxima and St. Julia of Lisbon -

were martyrs under Diocletian and are remembered with a full office in the Mozarabic breviary

(October 01). In his chronicle, Vasaeus records that the catechumen Saint Victor was baptized

by blood. He was beheaded at Braga, under Diocletian for refusing to sacrifice to idols (April

12). Also born in the land was St. Damasus, Pope of the Roman Church, who witnessed the

legitimization of the Church by the Roman Empire and is the one who charged St. Jeronominus

of translating the Bible to "modern Latin", thus creating the "Vulgata Latina". St. Mancius,

Bishop of Evora (March 15) seems to have been bought as a slave by Jewish traders and taken to

Evora, Portugal, where he was martyred by his masters. St. Fructuosus of Braga (665),

enlightener of the Visigoths was the author of a monastic rule. His relics can still be visited in

Montlios, near Braga, in a 7th century church (April 16). St Irene (653) was a beautiful young

monk and was a "martyr of the lust" for she was killed by men who desired her and could not

accept her refusal. A boy from the village wanted her for him as did the abbot of a male

monastery nearby. Succumbing to the passions, the abbot made people believe the young chaste

ascetic was already pregnant. She was expelled from her monastery. Knowing about this, the boy

from the village killed her out of jealousy and frustrated passion (October 20).

During the occupation by the Moors, a legend was created about seven bishops who escaped to

an island known as Island of the Seven Cities.One of the saints to meet martyrdom in the Moor

invasion was St. Senhorinha (982). She was a relative of the Spanish St. Rodesinus of
Mondoedo and was abbess of the Convent of Basto, near Braga. In times of hunger she would

pray and flour would miraculously appear in the convent. To her was also granted the grace of

having water turned into wine during her prayers a great display of the glory of the first author of

such miracle in her (April 22). Another saint of the period was St. Torquadus who eventually

became Archbishop in Braga, in Oporto and in Dume. In 711, Mussa, a Muslim general was sent

by Tarik, the conqueror of the Iberic Peninsula to subdue and convert the local people. St.

Torquadus went to meet him along with 27 followers, facing the entire Moor army. Using his

word, he preached to the entire Moor army. Enraged, the Muslim general killed St. Torquadus by

the sword. Later the body of the saint was found in the wood and where he was moved to a

spring emerged at that point. This spring still exists today and is known as "Fonte de So

Torcato". A sanctuary was built there where the body of the saint can be visited (February 26).

As the list of Orthodox saints of Portugal in the 1st millennium shows, Braga has a central role

as an administrative center up to the invasion of the Moor, but remains a spiritual center even

after it, since a number of saints have come from there. Much of this is due to the solid base

created by the missionary effort of St. Martin of Braga.

Saint Martin of Braga Life and Works

Saint Martin of Braga was born in the 6th century, which is the century of Justinian and the last

time the Greek-Roman Empire would extend from the East to the West. Interestingly, the sources

in Portuguese seem more focused on the work of St. Martin itself and what he did once he

arrived in Braga, than the period of his life while in the East, and what influence it might have

had.

Saint Martin of Braga is believed to have been born no later than the year 520 AD, significantly

precisely in the same period the Acacian schism of East and West had been resolved with a

reunion ratified in the cathedral of Constantinople under patriarch John II, the Capadoccian, and

before a large crowd. Saint Martin died probably on 579 AD. In his lifetime, he saw on the

throne of Constantinople Justin I, Justinian I, Justin II and Tiberius. When he was born, as said,

John II was Patriarch in Constantinople and was succeed by Epiphanius, Anthimus I, Menas

(who was the Patriarch when Martin was travelling to Lusitania), Eutychius, John Scolasticus

and Eutychius again.

On the Roman see, the pope that participated in the reunion in the period of birth of St. Martin

was Hormisdas, succeeded by John I, Felix IV, Boniface II, Agapetus I, Silverius, Vigillius, the

first in a series that had been an apocrisiary, representatives of the pope to the Emperor in

Constantinople and therefore with close ties to the Byzantine empire. This is especially true in

face of the fact that his election follows Belisarus reconquer of Rome and the need of
Constantinople to put at the seat someone favorable to the Empire. This is the pope that was in

throne during Martins journey to the West.

Pope Vigilius already had been in contact in 538 with the then bishop of Braga, Profuturo,

concerning issues of Church liturgical discipline, and which marks the beginning of a deeper

romanization of the local liturgical rite of Braga. Besides liturgical rites, Profuturo asks mainly

about Baptism. The common practice of the Orthodox in the region was to baptize with one

immersion while Arians baptized with three immersions. Pope Vigilius does not condemn one

immersion but affirms the Orthodoxy of three immersions as the norm of Roman tradition. This

odd situation where Orthodox Catholics performed an unorthodox rite of baptism with the sole

reason of differentiating themselves from heretics was clearly an ongoing issue in the region,

since even 591. There is a letter from Pope Gregory I to bishop Leander of Seville defending

triple immersion but conceding that for Spain the use of threefold immersion by heretics is

sufficient reason for its being avoided by the faithful (BARLOW, 1969). St. Martin himself had

to write a small treatise defending the orthodoxy of triple immersion, which also shows his

commitment to the regularization of the local liturgy to canonical norms.

The importance of Vigilius communication with Profuturo lies not only on the relevance of the

subject, but in showing that there was a growing concern at higher levels of the hierarchy with

what was going on in Lusitania. The closest well known similar communication had been

initiated by Lusitania itself when Paulo Orosio had asked St. Augustine, then bishop of Hipo,

about the heresy of the Priscillianists, which was in many ways more pervasive in the region than
even Arianism. The fact that we see both a change of direction (now the center takes the

initiative instead of the margin) in a period of expansion and consolidation of Byzantine power

in the West, even with Constantinople-approved popes, may suggest that St. Martins mission

was not an isolated initiative, but, apart from the sincere missionary zeal of the saint, the support

it received may have been part of a broader imperial outreach through what we would call today

soft power where sheer military force was not able to prevail. Another point that suggests that

is that previous communications with African bishops like St. Augustine demonstrate a closer

dependency of the North-African churches, if not real jurisdiction under them, which is a debated

point among scholars. With the election of Vigilius and then the mission of St. Martin we may be

witnessing Constantinople/Rome self-consciously trying to bring the region more directly to

their own circle of influence.

After Vigilius and still a Constantinople apocrisiary, Martin would have witnessed Pelagius I on

the see of Rome and then John III under whose papacy Justinian dies and the empire once again

starts to leave the West behind and turn its attention to the East. The last pope St. Martin would

see before he died was Benedict I, whose main challenge was to cope with the abandonment by

the Byzantine Empire, regarding invasions by the Lombards and famine in the region and

including a ten months vacancy on the Roman see during which he had to wait for the approval

of Constantinople, delayed by difficulties in communication, to be enthroned.

Little is know from Saint Martins life prior to his arrival in Dume. We know that he was born in

Panonia and that later he went to the Middle-East. Some authors think that this decision was
informed by his desire both spiritual and intellectual. Justinian was too committed to the concept

of one empire, one faith and because of that was closing many pagan academies. Although St.

Martin was orthodox in his theology, his interest in classic higher education would make him

persona non gratta in the Empire. It is assumed that he integrated monastic communities in or

near Alexandria where he could have acquired both his high knowledge and his experience and

appreciation for the desert monastic fathers. As Justinians campaign of strictness started to

disturb monastic life even in Egypt, Martin probably considered moving somewhere else.

Traditional references talk of him meeting Western travelers and feeling a calling, which is

probably part of the truth, but also the fact that the farthest West of the continent was way too

distant from the influence of Justinian. Also, the Suebis who inhabitted the region also had their

origins in Panonia. Finally, the area had already a more Eastern ethos in its spirituality shown by

the monasticism that already existed there and that was different from the southermost more

typically Western forms. In short, for a man whose temperament leaned more to a tolerant

approach using the social push to integrate the West with the East to actually find refuge from

the same zealot impulse from the State, could be the intelligent thing to do.

Once in Dume, St. Martin immediately created a monastery and theres no register of which rule

it used. It is known that Martin does not use the already existing Benedictine rule. Instead he

translated the Eastern Sayings of the Desert Fathers, which he may have collaborated in the

compilation of while still in Alexandria. He is then made bishop of the monastery, period during

which he participates in the I Council of Braga. Later, as Bishop of Braga itself he would preside

Braga II and again resort to eastern canonical models to write the final documents.
St. Martin would also come to be known for his extreme gentleness and tolerance in dealing with

local non-Orthodox. In the region, Priscilianism, Arianism and Paganism prevailed. St. Martins

approach was always one of education rather than the persecution that Justinian was executing in

the East. One of his most important documents is De Corretio Rusticorum, a response to a

brother bishop asking for advice on how to convert the pagans. It has been compared to similar

documents that treat on the same subject and been praised for its deeply tolerant and pastoral

tone when in contrast with those other similar documents. Saint Martin also shows a deep

concern about education and resorts to Seneca for the moral education of his flock, but also to St.

Augustine, St. John Cassian and many Fathers of East and West.

Conclusion

There is a common saying often attributed to Gandhi that we have to effect in us first the change

that we wish to see upon the world. I believe St. Martin of Braga is an example of that happening

in real life and relevant for our times. Living in a time of bellicose conflict between Orthodox

and Monophysites he sought to distance himself from that, get educated both intellectually and

spiritually and not desiring to be a militant for any kind of party, he sought a land where he could

further develop this synthesis in his soul and give it expression. Shortly before he had been born

West and East had been in schism and it was starting to become clear that both sides had

different preoccupations. But Saint Martin can use sources from both East and West, without

abandoning his own basic spiritual cradle so to speak, that of Eastern monasticism, even
because it was a fundamental element of his own personality at that point. He also understood,

from the experience of the Egyptian monastics with their own pagans around them, that to bring

people into the Church the best persuasion was not persecution by the institutional Church or

its imperial allies, but first and foremost charity (social service sounds too distant and

processual at times), education , real brotherhood and love.

References:

Follis, E. K. (1992). St. Martin of Braga: sources for his tolerance toward the rustici in sixth

century Galicia (T). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations, 1919-2007. Retrieved May 5, 2016,

from https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/831/items/1.0086519

Gomes, P. (2000). A Patrologia Lusitana. Histria da Filosofia Portuguesa. Guimares Editores,

Lisbon, Portugal

Barlow, C. W. (1969) Iberian Fathers V.1. The Fathers of the Church. The Catholic University of

America Press, INC.

Ramos, F. R. (2014) El Primado romano en la Pennsula Ibrica hasta el siglo X: Un anlisis

historiogrfico in Espacio, Tiempo y Forma, in Serie III, H. Medieval, t. 27, 2014, pps. 419-460.

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