Martin I

Who they were

Martin was born at Todi in Umbria and had served as a priest in Constantinople. Elected Pope in 649 without waiting for the emperor's consent, he understood what lay behind Monothelitism, the teaching that Christ had only one, divine, will, which the emperors were imposing: it denied Christ's true humanity.

He condemned the heresy, and the emperor had him seized, taken to Constantinople, condemned and exiled to Cherson in the Crimea. From there he wrote: 'The Lord is near; what have I to worry about?' He died there on 16 September 655. Not far away St Maximus the Confessor was imprisoned, his hand cut off and his tongue cut out; the two never met.

The miracles

There was never a formal cause: Martin is venerated as a martyr by the Roman Church and by the Greek and Slav Churches.

Why that counted as sanctity

Martin defended the full truth about Christ, true God and true man with a truly human will, against the emperor himself, and died in exile for it, trusting only in God.

Connected on this site

• Eugene I Saint
  “He was chosen to become Pope after the deposition and banishment of Martin I by Emperor Constans II over the dispute about Monothelitism.” — Wikipedia
• Maximus the Confessor Saint
  “Not far away St Maximus the Confessor was imprisoned, his hand cut off and his tongue cut out; the two never met.” — this site's research
• Theodore I Saint
  “He had served as Pope Theodore I's ambassador to Constantinople, and was elected to succeed him as pope.” — Wikipedia