Editing Martin of Tours (section)

===Revival of the popular devotion to St. Martin in the Third Republic===
{{See also|French Third Republic#Church and state}}

====Excavations and rediscovery of the tomb====
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{{main article |Basilica of St. Martin, Tours}}
[[Image:Basiliquestmartin.jpg|thumb|[[Basilica of St. Martin, Tours]]]]

In 1860 excavations by [[Leo Dupont]] (1797–1876) established the dimensions of the former abbey and recovered some fragments of architecture. The tomb of St. Martin was rediscovered on 14 December 1860, which aided in the nineteenth-century revival of the popular devotion to St. Martin.

After the radical [[Paris Commune]] of 1871, there was a resurgence of conservative Catholic piety, and the church decided to build a basilica to St. Martin. They selected [[Victor Laloux]] as architect. He eschewed [[Gothic Revival|Gothic]] for a mix of Romanesque and Byzantine, sometimes defined as neo-Byzantine.{{efn|name=pilgrimage}} The new [[Basilica of St. Martin, Tours|Basilique Saint-Martin]] was erected on a portion of its former site, which was purchased from the owners. Started in 1886, the church was consecrated 4 July 1925.<ref>{{cite web|title=Historique|language=fr|url=http://www.basiliquesaintmartin.com/index.php?page=37&lg=1|work="Basilique Saint-Martin" (official website)|access-date=2008-09-16}}</ref>
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====Franco-Prussian War====
[[File:Tombeau de Saint-Martin de Tours.jpg|thumb|Tomb of Saint Martin]]
Martin's renewed popularity in France was related to his promotion as a [[military saint]] during the [[Franco-Prussian War]] of 1870–1871.  
During the military and political crisis of the Franco-Prussian war, [[Napoleon III]]'s [[Second French Empire|Second Empire]] collapsed. After the surrender of Napoleon to the Prussians after the [[Battle of Sedan]] in September 1870, a provisional government of national defense was established, and France's [[French Third Republic|Third Republic]] was proclaimed. Paris was evacuated due to the advancing enemy and for a brief time (September–December 1870), Tours became the effective capital of France.{{cn|date=May 2024}} During the French Third Republic, he was seen as a patron saint of France.{{sfn|Brennan|1997|p=}}

St Martin was promoted by the clerical right as the protector of the nation against the German threat. Conservatives associated the dramatic collapse of Napoleon III's regime as a sign of divine retribution on the irreligious emperor.  Priests interpreted it as punishment for a nation led astray due to years of [[anti-clericalism]].  They preached repentance and a return to religion for political stability.  The ruined towers of the old royal basilica of St. Martin at Tours came to symbolize the decline of traditional Catholic France.{{sfn|Brennan|1997|pp=489–491}}

With the government's relocation to Tours during the [[Franco-Prussian War]], 1870, numerous pilgrims were attracted to St. Martin's tomb. It was covered by a temporary chapel built by  [[Joseph-Hippolyte Guibert|archbishop Guibert]].  The popular devotion to St. Martin was also associated with the nationalistic devotion to the [[Sacred Heart]].  The flag of Sacre-Coeur, borne by [[Ultramontane]] Catholic [[Pontifical Zouaves]] who fought at Patay, had been placed overnight in St. Martin's tomb before being taken into battle on 9 October 1870.  The banner read "Heart of Jesus Save France" and on the reverse side [[Carmelite]] nuns of Tours embroidered "Saint Martin Protect France".{{sfn|Brennan|1997|p=499}}As the French army was victorious in Patay, many among the faithful took the victory to be the result of divine favor. Popular hymns of the 1870s developed the theme of national protection under the cover of Martin's cloak, the "first flag of France".{{sfn|Brennan|1997|pp=489–491}}

During the nineteenth-century Frenchmen, influenced by secularism, agnosticism, and [[anti-clericalism]], deserted the church in great numbers. As Martin was a man's saint, the devotion to him was an exception to this trend.  For men serving in the military, Martin of Tours was presented by the Catholic Right as the masculine model of principled behavior. He was a brave fighter, knew his obligation to the poor, shared his goods, performed his required military service, followed legitimate orders, and respected secular authority.{{sfn|Brennan|1997|pp=491–492}}

====Opposition from Anticlericals====
During the 1870s, the procession to St. Martin's tomb at Tours became a display of ecclesiastical and military cooperation. Army officers in full uniform acted as military escorts, symbolically protecting the clergy and clearing the path for them. Anti-clerics viewed the staging of public religious processions as a violation of civic space. In 1878, M. Rivière, the provisional mayor of Tours, with anticlerical support banned the November procession in honor of St. Martin. President [[Patrice de Mac-Mahon]] was succeeded by the Republican [[Jules Grévy]], who created a new national anticlerical offensive. Bishop [[Louis-Édouard-François-Desiré Pie]] of Poitiers united conservatives and devised a massive demonstration for the November 1879 procession. Pie's ultimate hope was that St Martin would stop the "chariot" of modern society, and lead to the creation of a France where the religious and secular sectors merged.

The struggle between the two men was reflective of that between conservatives and anti-clerics over the church's power in the army. From 1874, military chaplains were allowed in the army in times of peace, but anti-clerics viewed the chaplains as sinister monarchists and counter-revolutionaries. Conservatives responded by creating the short-lived Legion de [[Saint Maurice]] in 1878 and the society, Notre Dame de Soldats, to provide unpaid voluntary chaplains with financial support. The legislature passed the anticlerical Duvaux Bill of 1880, which reduced the number of chaplains in the French army. Anticlerical legislators wanted commanders, not chaplains, to provide troops with moral support and to supervise their formation in the established faith of "patriotic Republicanism".{{sfn|Brennan|1997|pp=495–496}}