E06625: In his Letter 4.18 to Lucontius, written in Latin, Sidonius Apollinaris recounts an inscription that he composed for the church of *Martin (ascetic and bishop of Tours, ob. 397, S00050) in Tours (north-west Gaul). Written in Clermont (central Gaul), AD 467/477.
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posted on 2018-09-27, 00:00 authored by kwojtalikSidonius Apollinaris, Letters 4.18.4-5
In his letter to Lucontius (or Lucentius) Sidonius recounts how Perpetuus, bishop of Tours, rebuilt the church of Martin in Tours. He requested Sidonius to compose a poem to inscribe on the walls of the church, who wrote as follows:
Martini corpus totis venerabile terris,
in quo post vitae tempora vivit honor,
texerat hic primum plebeio machina cultu,
quae confessori non erat aequa suo.
Nec desistebat cives onerare pudore [5]
gloria magna viri, gratia parva loci;
antistes sed qui numeratur sextus ab ipso
longam Perpetuus sustulit invidiam,
internum removens modici penetrale sacelli
amplaque tecta levans exteriore domo; [10]
creveruntque simul valido tribuente patrono
in spatiis aedes, conditor in meritis,
quae Salamoniaco potis est confligere templo,
septima quae mundo fabrica mira fuit.
Nam gemmis auro argento si splenduit illud, [15]
istud transgreditur cuncta metalla fide.
Livor, abi, mordax, absolvanturque priores,
nil novet aut addat garrula posteritas;
dumque venit Christus, populos qui suscitet omnes,
perpetuo durent culmina Perpetui. [20]
‘In this place Martin’s body, throughout the world revered, whose honour still lives after life’s end, was first covered by an edifice of mean style, ill-befitting its patron-confessor; and shame lay ever heavy upon the people that the glory of the man should be so great, the beauty of the place so small. But Perpetuus the prelate sixth in order after him took away this age-long reproach: he removed the inner shrine that formed the modest chapel and raised a lordly pile by building outside and over it; and so by the favour of its mighty patron the church has grown in size, the builder in merit, and well might it vie with Salomon’s temple which was the world’s seventh wonder; that sanctuary gleamed with gold and silver and precious stones, but this one surpasses all metals with the gleam of faith. Get thee gone, biting envy! May our forefathers be absolved, and may babbling posterity neither alter nor add anything; and until Christ comes to rouse all peoples from the dead, may the edifice of Perpetuus perpetually endure.’
Text and translation: Anderson 1965, 132-135.
In his letter to Lucontius (or Lucentius) Sidonius recounts how Perpetuus, bishop of Tours, rebuilt the church of Martin in Tours. He requested Sidonius to compose a poem to inscribe on the walls of the church, who wrote as follows:
Martini corpus totis venerabile terris,
in quo post vitae tempora vivit honor,
texerat hic primum plebeio machina cultu,
quae confessori non erat aequa suo.
Nec desistebat cives onerare pudore [5]
gloria magna viri, gratia parva loci;
antistes sed qui numeratur sextus ab ipso
longam Perpetuus sustulit invidiam,
internum removens modici penetrale sacelli
amplaque tecta levans exteriore domo; [10]
creveruntque simul valido tribuente patrono
in spatiis aedes, conditor in meritis,
quae Salamoniaco potis est confligere templo,
septima quae mundo fabrica mira fuit.
Nam gemmis auro argento si splenduit illud, [15]
istud transgreditur cuncta metalla fide.
Livor, abi, mordax, absolvanturque priores,
nil novet aut addat garrula posteritas;
dumque venit Christus, populos qui suscitet omnes,
perpetuo durent culmina Perpetui. [20]
‘In this place Martin’s body, throughout the world revered, whose honour still lives after life’s end, was first covered by an edifice of mean style, ill-befitting its patron-confessor; and shame lay ever heavy upon the people that the glory of the man should be so great, the beauty of the place so small. But Perpetuus the prelate sixth in order after him took away this age-long reproach: he removed the inner shrine that formed the modest chapel and raised a lordly pile by building outside and over it; and so by the favour of its mighty patron the church has grown in size, the builder in merit, and well might it vie with Salomon’s temple which was the world’s seventh wonder; that sanctuary gleamed with gold and silver and precious stones, but this one surpasses all metals with the gleam of faith. Get thee gone, biting envy! May our forefathers be absolved, and may babbling posterity neither alter nor add anything; and until Christ comes to rouse all peoples from the dead, may the edifice of Perpetuus perpetually endure.’
Text and translation: Anderson 1965, 132-135.
History
Evidence ID
E06625Saint Name
Martin, ascetic and bishop of Tours, ob. 397 : S00050Saint Name in Source
MartinusRelated Saint Records
Type of Evidence
Literary - Letters Literary - PoemsLanguage
- Latin
