St. Vicent Ferrer’s Catalán sermon on St. Martin of Tours

Abstract

One of the most widely venerated saints in the Middle Ages was St. Martin of Tours whose cult continues to this day in many parts of the world. In the Middle Ages, he became as popular as other major saints such as Thomas Becket, Santiago de Compostela and the Virgin Mary. St. Martin’s cult became very prominent in the Iberian Peninsula before and after the emergence of the cult of Santiago de Compostela. In St. Vicent Ferrer’s voluminous sermons this one in Catalán is dedicated to this most venerated Gallic saint. The most important late antique and early medieval sources that form the background of this sermon are by Sulpicius Severus- the Gallus and Vita Sancti Martini. In the high Middle Ages, however, his cult was popularized through the Legenda Aurea written by the Dominican Jacobus of Voragine, who synthesized Sulpicius’ two works on St. Martin. Moreover, St. Vicent preached not to make any major doctrinal breakthroughs- his main interest was to evangelize, not to write academic theology- he nevertheless exhibited great creativity. The object of this study is St. Vicent’s Catalán sermon Alius Sermo Sancti Martini, CXXXIV.