00:01Do you know Saint Martial?
00:03This little-known saint is nevertheless one of the oldest evangelists of Gaul.
00:09Patron of Limoges, he was long considered one of the very first apostles of Gaul, equal to the greatest.
00:17According to tradition, Martial was born in the first century in the Holy Land.
00:20A direct disciple of Saint Peter, he was sent with two companions, from the Alps and Austriclinia, to proclaim the gospel in Gaul.
00:29His journey takes him to Limousin, to the pagan city of Augustoritum, today Limoges.
00:35There, by his ardent words and his many miracles, he converted many souls.
00:40He healed the sick, raised the dead, and even a legend claims that he met the Christ child.
00:47His zeal eventually convinced the entire region. He was ordained bishop and became the first evangelist in Limousin.
00:54Saint-Martial died peacefully in Limoges, surrounded by a halo of sanctity.
01:01Very quickly, his tomb became a major place of pilgrimage, on the same level as Saint-Martin or Saint-Denis.
01:07In the 10th century, a majestic abbey church was built above his tomb,
01:12making Limoges an essential stop on the roads to Compostela.
01:15Even today, Saint-Martial remains the protector of Limoges and one of the symbols of the evangelization of France.
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