Seeing Double

I TOLD earlier how the district of Moosach, where I am spending eight days, has Munich's oldest church, St Martin's, which was built around 1200.

Imagine my surprise when, on seeing another interesting-looking church nearby, it turned out to also be dedicated to St Martin.

The first St Martin's, now called in German Alte Pfarrkirche St Martin (Old Parish Church of St Martin), sufficed for the area's needs until the early 1900s.

But in 1913 Moosach was incorporated into the spreading city of Munich, and its population boomed so much that it was decided a larger version of the church was needed.

Building started in 1921, taking three years, the new church being called Neue Pfarrkirche St Martin.

New St Martin's

Another view

St Martin is popular in many parts of Europe, being chosen as the patron saint of France's Third Republic (1870-1940).

He was born in the early 300s in what is now Hungary, but was then the Roman province of Pannonia.

Martin's parents were pagans, but against their wishes he started attending a Christian church at the age of 10.

Later, while a cavalryman serving in Gaul and north Italy, he cut his cloak in two to give half to a beggar shivering in rags in the winter.

That night, according to his biographer, Martin had a dream in which he saw Jesus wearing the beggar's half of the cloak, and telling some angels: "Martin, who is still but a catechumen (religious novice), clothed me with this robe."

Relief on the new church, depicting Martin sharing his cloak