This is his story: In 316 or 317 Saint Martinus, or Saint Maarten, was born in Sabaria in Hungary. His father had reached the rank of an important officer in the Roman army. His son was named after the war god Mars. Martinus, the brave, the couragious. The family moved to Pavia in Italy. When he was 15, as son of an officer, he had to join the Roman army. He was sent to France and there happened the following. On a cold and foggy day Saint Martinus and his soldiers ride to the city of Amiens. It is cold and Saint Martinus and his soldiers make haste. At the moment saint Martinus rides through the gate a scarcely dressed beggar steps forward. While shivering, the man asks for money. Saint Martinus halts while the other soldiers go on. Saint Martinus dismounts but he has no money on him and he thinks by himself about what he can do for such a poor man while he has no money.
He cuts his soldiers robe into two pieces. The biggest piece he gives to the beggar, who goes away in good spirits for he is clad. That night Saint Martinus had a dream. In that dream Jesus comes to him, clad only in half a soldiers robe. But that he had given to the poor beggar. Than he hears Jesus say to the angels : "Here is Martinus, the Roman soldier who is not baptised, he has clad me." The dream had such an impact on Saint Martinus that he got baptised the next day and became a christian. He decides to leave the army and become a monk near the city of Tours. He did a lot of good work so that he became famous in the area, and later even became bishop of Tours.