St. Martin I, Pope and Martyr

St. Martin was elected Pope in A.D. 649. He was responsible for the condemnation of the heresy of monothelitism. The supporters of this heresy believed that although Christ had two natures - one human and one divine - these two natures had a common will. The Emperor of Constantinople at this time was a supporter of this heresy and after its condemnation sent one of his henchmen called Olympius to Rome to murder the Pope. Olympius sent one of his own attendants to the Church of St. Mary Major where he knew the Pope would be distributing Communion to murder him. However the servant claimed that when he set about to murder the Pope he was suddenly struck by blindness and could not see what he was doing. Olympius then believed that God had protected Martin and left him alone. The Emperor then sent a second party to Rome and the members of this party captured Martin and took him to Constantinople where he was kept in a dungeon for three months. He was then dragged before the Senate, stripped of his Papal garments leaving his naked body exposed, had an iron collar placed around his neck and was then dragged off to another prison. He eventually died in a prison in the Crimea, probably from starvation.
^{It is a lamentable consideration that the prince of darkness should be master of so much beauty, and have so comely persons in his possession; and that so fine an outside should have nothing of God’s grace to furnish it within.}

Gregory succeeded Pope Pelagius II in 590 A.D. and one of his most important acts as Pope was to send St. Augustine (St. Augustine of Canterbury - not St. Augustine of Hippo) with a group of Benedictine monks to convert England. He also enforced the prohibition on the marriage of priests and introduced the style of singing in churches which is now called Gregorian chant. The earliest complete manuscript for containing musical notation for Gregorian chant is the Cantatorium of St. Gall in Switzerland copied at the beginning of the tenth century.

***Gregorian Chant is a musical form. It has its origins in Hebrew liturgical music and it is the oldest chant in present day use. The first recorded use of the expression ‘Gregorian Chant’ was in a letter of Pope Leo IV (847-855) who write to Abbot Honoratus of Farfa encouraging him to use it. Today the chant is associated most closely with the monks of Benedictine Abbeys throughout the world, but especially in France, where the Benedictine Abbeys are famous for the beauty of their liturgies. Many Abbeys produce recordings of their Chants and these can be found in most music stores. Some of the most famous of the French Abbeys are: Solesmes in northwestern France, Le Barroux near Avignon, and the Abbaye Notre Dame de Fontgombault.