Utrecht, Netherlands — Northwestern Europe

In Het Voetspuur Van Sint Maarten / In the Footsteps of Saint Martin

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, November 23, 2016

1. In Het Voetspuur Van Sint Maarten / In the Footsteps of Saint Martin Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

In de 4e eeuw was Martinus bisschop van de stad Tours in Frankrijk. Hij maakte diepe indruk door zijn zorg de allerarmsten. Van meet af aan volgden velen hem na. Zij trokken zijn spoor door heel Europa. Ook in Utrecht. Al sinds de 7e eeuw is Martinus van Tours schutspatroon van stad en kerk.

Deze Dom- of Sint Maartenskerk is nu een pleisterplaats op een van de vele pelgrimsroutes vanuit heel Europa naar Tours.

Het Centre Culturel Europeén Saint Martin de Tours verbindt een netwerk van Sint Maartensteden in Europa.

[English translation:]

In the 4th century, Martin was the bishop of the city of Tours in France. Making a deep impression by his care for the poorest, from the outset he inspired many to follow his trail throughout Europe, including Utrecht. Since the 7th century, St. Martin of Tours has been Utrecht's patron saint for both the city and the church.

The St. Martin's Cathedral is a waypoint on one of the many pilgrimage routes from anywhere in Europe to Tours.

The Centre Culturel Europeén Saint Martin de Tours connects a network of Saint Martin

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Cities in Europe.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Churches & Religion • Roads & Vehicles.

Location. 52° 5.436′ N, 5° 7.317′ E. Marker is in Utrecht. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Domplein and Korte Nieuwstraat. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Utrecht 3512 JE, Netherlands. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Verzetsmonument Utrecht / Utrecht Resistance Monument (a few steps from this marker); Utrechtse Sodomieprocessen / Utrecht Sodomy Trials (a few steps from this marker); Het Runensteen van Jelling Afgietsel / The Jelling Runestone Replica (within shouting distance of this marker); Universiteit Utrecht / Utrecht University (within shouting distance of this marker); Claustraal Huis van Oudemunster / Canon House of the Former Oudmunster Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Paleis Lofen (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Paleis Lofen (within shouting distance of this marker); Groot Kapittelhuis van de Dom / Great Chapter House of the Cathedral (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Utrecht.

Also see . . .
1. The Saint Martin of Tours Route (Centre Culturel Europeén Saint Martin de Tours)

In Het Voetspuur Van Sint Maarten / In the Footsteps of Saint Martin Marker - Wide View image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, November 23, 2016

2. In Het Voetspuur Van Sint Maarten / In the Footsteps of Saint Martin Marker - Wide View

The marker is visible here to the right of the entrance.

. Saint Martin of Tours has been part of Europe's collective memory since the fourth century. A tireless traveller around Europe for his entire life, this European ahead of his time, who symbolises the universal value of sharing, was born in 316 in Pannonia, now Hungary, to pagan parents. Having been raised in Pavia, Italy, where his father served in the Roman army, he himself was enrolled in the army at the age of about fifteen. In 337, while stationed in Amiens, France, he cut his cloak in two to give half to a poor man who was dying of cold. His faith was then revealed to him and he became a Christian. Living as a hermit near Poitiers, he established a monastery in Ligugé, the first in the Western world. He became a bishop in 371; he founded the abbey of Marmoutier and the first rural churches in Gaul, while travelling extensively throughout part of Europe. Saint Martin died on 8 November 397 in Candes and was buried on 11 November in Tours. (Submitted on December 24, 2016.)

2. In the Footsteps of St. Martin (pdf). A tour of St. Martin-related sites in Utrecht. (Submitted on December 24, 2016.)

St. Martin's Cathedral - Detail Above Door (See Photo 2) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, November 23, 2016

3. St. Martin's Cathedral - Detail Above Door (See Photo 2)

A modern depiction of St. Martin's sharing of his cloak, by Theo van de Vathours. The legend of Martin's Cloak (Wikipedia): While Martin was a soldier in the Roman army and stationed in Gaul (modern-day France), he experienced a vision, which became the most-repeated story about his life. One day as he was approaching the gates of the city of Amiens, he met a scantily clad beggar. He impulsively cut his military cloak in half to share with the man. That night, Martin dreamed of Jesus wearing the half-cloak he had given away. He heard Jesus say to the angels: "Martin, who is still but a catechumen, clothed me with this robe." (Sulpicius, ch 2). In another version, when Martin woke, he found his cloak restored to wholeness. The dream confirmed Martin in his piety, and he was baptised at the age of 18....

In Het Voetspuur Van Sint Maarten / In the Footsteps of Saint Martin Marker - Wider View image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, November 23, 2016

4. In Het Voetspuur Van Sint Maarten / In the Footsteps of Saint Martin Marker - Wider View

A more general view of part of the Domplein (Cathedral Square), showing the Utrecht Sodomy Trials marker (in the pavement), the Resistance Monument behind that, and the Footsteps marker on the very right, by the red and white flags, all backed by the Cathedral itself. Two additional historical visual cues are to be seen - the painting of the nave (as it would have appeared in the 17th Century), open to the air, and the different colored paving stones visible on the plaza, which allude to the outline of the nave prior to its collapse in 1674.

<i>Domkerk</i>, or St. Martin's Cathedral - Postcard View from the Dom Tower image. Click for full size.

circa 1907

5. Domkerk, or St. Martin's Cathedral - Postcard View from the Dom Tower

The Footsteps marker site would be just to the right of the entrance on the right side of the photograph, while the Sodomy Trials marker and Resistance monument would be where the people are standing. (See Photo 4.)

St. Martin's Cathedral, Utrecht, or Dom Church (Dutch: Domkerk), was the cathedral of the Diocese of Utrecht during the Middle Ages. Once the Netherlands' largest church, dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, it is the country's only pre-Reformation cathedral. It has been a Protestant church since 1580. The building is the one church in the Netherlands that closely resembles the style of classic Gothic architecture as developed in France. All other Gothic churches in the Netherlands belong to one of the many regional variants. Unlike most of its French predecessors, the building has only one tower, the 112-metre-high (367 ft) Dom Tower, which is the hallmark of the city....In 1674 the central portion of the cathedral with the nave collapsed in a storm, a tornado ripped through Utrecht causing many to die and split the cathedral in two. It has never been rebuilt, leaving the tower now isolated from the east end. -- Wikipedia

Credits. This page was last revised on January 1, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 24, 2016, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 303 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on December 24, 2016, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.