St. Martin of Tours

Abstract

The sculpture of Saint Martin of Tours, housed in the church porch of the temple in Paczółtowice, is an early baroque work of unknown origin and authorship. The statue was probably created in the first half of the 17th century. Lack of source information does not allow to determine whether it was associated with any of the altars in the church in Paczółtowice. Saint Martin lived in the 4th century, he became a Roman legionary at a young age. During his military service in Gaul, he met a half-naked beggar on his way, to whom he gave half of his soldier's robe. After this incident, Christ appeared to him at night, dressed in the robe given to him by Saint Martin. After leaving the army, Martin chose the life of a hermit and ascetic. Over time, his activities and miracles became widely known, which led to his election as Bishop of Tours in 371. In Christian iconography, St. Martin is most often depicted as a man in Roman legionary's clothing, riding a white horse, sharing his robe with a poor man.