Melega Miklós (szerk.): Remembering St Martin in his birth place (Szombathely, 2016)
Literature and notes T Tie well linked to St tTlartin was first mentioned in 1360 in a deed setting out the borders of an estate called Banafölde, later known as Szőkefölde.1 The medieval legend linked to the well, namely that martin dearly as a new-born baby, was christened with the water from the welt in the yard of his birth house, wasf rst reported by Carolus Clusius (Charles de I’Bduse). a botanist from the Netherlands in 1585.“’ The inscription of the well Hie baptisatus est S. tTlartinus' was still keeping alive the legend in the mid-19,h century: This legend cannot be linked to the well-known martin biography by Sulpidus Severus, since we do know that he was christened at the ac(e of 18 as a soldier in Gaul,4 perhaps in Amiens. Tine origins of the story are rather va^ue, but it seems highly likely that it is linked to the common myth about his birth house, and micjht even date back to the same period. The 18th century Hungarian historian. Bä mátyás was the first to tell a different story in about 1730, saying that leaving the army martin returned home to christen his mother here.5 An explanation could be that he oould not do so in the christening chapel next to the St Quirine basilica because of the hostile Arians, so he was lejt with the option of immersing her in the water of the well on the sacred grounds of the Christian cemetery.0 This appealing theory is efuestioned, however, by the fact that Sulpidus Severus says nothing about tTlartin christening his mother, he states in the biography that her son 'led her away from the pagan fallacies'. Sven if martin had christened his mother himself, that probably took place somewhere else other than in Savaria We can, therefore, regard both versions of the story as mere legends. The only true element in the story is the well itself, which is old indeed, probably dating! back to Roman times, though it was rebuilt a number of timesf in the middles Agios. Also in modern Times, it functioned as the public well of the village Szentmárton, supplying also the Dominican monastery with water. In 1958 a statue was erected at the well and they installed a pump to supply the statue with water. An archaeological examination took place in 1992, and since 2008 the brim of the original well is indicated by a protruding limestone soffit, which frames a round, dark ifreen granite plate, featuring an engraved depiction of the town in the late 18th century.9 Kiss Gábor: A szombathelyi Banafölde birtok 1360. évi határainak helymeghatározása. = Specimina Nova. 2002. I. sz. (hereinafter Kiss, 2002) 267-276. p. ' Carolus Clusius leírása Szombathely városáról 1585-ben. Közli Tóm Sndre, ZAgorhidi ChigánY Balázs. - Lapok Szom- ’ bathely történetéből, 1999. 72. sz. 1-3. p. (Panni culus Ser. C: 117) 0 A magyarországi városok physio^nomiája catholicus szempontból VI. Szombathely. Veszprém, Keszthely és Kőszed. » Relidio, 1853.17. sz. 129. p. 0 Sulpicius Severus: Szent ITIárton élete. Ford Borián Slréd Rsicharüt Aba Pannonhalma, 1997. (hereinafter: Sulpidus. 1997) 32. p. 0 Bä mátyás: Hungáriáé Novae Notitia, membrum 111. De Sabaria Közzéteszi В. Thorias Sdit, Prokopp Gyula. « Vasi Szemle, 1959.2. sz. 53-54. p. x ' 0 Kiss Gábor - Tóth Sndre - Zágorhidi Czi- gání Balázs: Savaria-Szombathely története. A város alapításától 1526- icj. Szerk. Snüsl Pál. Szombathely. I99S (hereinafter: Kiss - Tóm - Zágorhidi Czigány, 1988) 229. p. (Szombathely története: l) Sulpidus. 1997. 35. p. 0 Kiss - Tóm - Zágorhidi Czigány. 1988.187-188., 226-228. p. 9 tTlANGuÁR László: TTÍe^szépült a szobor környéke. A Szent márton-szobor környezetének rendezése. - Vasi építész és mérnök. 2009.2. sz. 10-12. p. Remembering $t martin in his birth place
