Reign as Pope: A.D. 649–655
Martyrdom: A.D. 656
Life and Pontificate
St. Martin I was born in the early 7th century, in what is believed to be the region of Todi in Umbria, Italy. Before ascending to the papacy, he served as a deacon of the Roman Church and was recognized for his learning, holiness, and fidelity to Catholic doctrine.
He was elected pope in July of A.D. 649 during a time of great turmoil in the Church, particularly regarding the Monothelite heresy. This heresy claimed that Christ had only one will—divine—and not both a divine and human will, which directly contradicted the orthodox teaching of the Church as upheld by the Council of Chalcedon (A.D. 451), which taught that Christ is one divine Person in two complete natures, divine and human, each with its own proper will and operation.
Immediately after his election, Pope Martin I courageously convened the Lateran Council of 649, which condemned Monothelitism and the imperial edicts that attempted to silence theological debate on the matter (notably the Ecthesis of Patriarch Sergius and the Typos of Emperor Constans II). The council upheld the teaching of the Fathers and defined that Christ, true God and true man, possesses two wills and two operations.
This bold action drew the ire of the Byzantine Emperor Constans II, who had aligned himself with the heretical Patriarchs of Constantinople. Viewing Pope Martin as a threat to imperial religious policy, Constans ordered his arrest.
Arrest, Exile, and Martyrdom
In A.D. 653, imperial agents forcibly abducted Pope Martin from the Lateran Palace, violating the sanctity of the papal person and the independence of the Church. He was taken in chains to Constantinople, where he suffered months of imprisonment, cold, hunger, and humiliation. Despite his weakening health, he refused to recant his condemnation of heresy.
In A.D. 654, after a sham trial in which he was accused of treason, he was exiled to Cherson in the Crimea—then a remote and desolate region on the edge of the empire. Deprived of adequate food and medical care, and isolated from the Christian faithful, Pope Martin died a confessor of the faith on September 16, A.D. 656. His death is considered a martyrdom, not by the sword but by prolonged suffering and persecution for the truth of the Faith.
He was later honored as a martyr, and his name was inscribed in the Roman Martyrology.
“Martin, Pope and Martyr, who for the Catholic Faith was banished by the heretical Emperor Constans to Cherson, where, worn out by his sufferings, he departed this life, glorious for his constancy.”
— Roman Martyrology, April 13
Legacy
St. Martin I is the last pope venerated as a martyr by the universal Church, and he stands as a pillar of orthodoxy and a courageous defender of the doctrine of Christ’s two wills (dyothelitism), later infallibly defined at the Third Council of Constantinople (A.D. 680–681).
His unwavering stand reminds the faithful that the Church, though often pressed by worldly powers, must never compromise the deposit of faith. His example is especially relevant today, as he demonstrates how fidelity to truth may come at the price of one’s comfort, freedom, and even life.
Spiritual Reflection
“He who does not choose to suffer for the truth, shall be forced to suffer for error.”
— St. Martin I (attributed)
Let us imitate the courage and fidelity of St. Martin, especially in times when truth is silenced or distorted. He is a powerful intercessor for bishops, theologians, and all who labor for the integrity of the Catholic Faith.
Collect (Traditional)
O God, who didst cause the Bishop blessed Martin gloriously to become a steadfast confessor of the Catholic Faith and a victorious martyr: grant, we beseech Thee, that by his intercession, faith and constancy may never fail in us.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
Amen.