Location:Probably the abbey of Gembloux - Date:after 1204 (Guibert's resignation from the abbacy of Gembloux), after 1209 (Boeren) - Commission: /

692 lines (ed. Delehaye)

Since reading the Life of St Martin of Tours by Sulpicius Severus as a child Guibert fostered a special admiration for St Martin. During his life he devotes himself to spreading the saint's fame, for instance by urging others to write texts about St Martin (see also NaSo 2311). Guibert's choice for Gobert of Laon, who already enjoyed a reputation as a writer, resulted from his admiration for Gobert's work (Vita Servatii, De tonsura et vestimentis et vita clericorum). To convince Gobert, Guibert also appealed to Gobert's nephew Hervard, archdeacon of Liège, who wrote a letter on his behalf to Gobert (see NaSo 607). Guibert himself also wrote two Lives of Martin (see NaSo 515 and 516).

Letter to Gobert, canon at Laon, in which Guibert urges him to employ his literary skills in the honour of St Martin of Tours. In reality Guibert primarily demonstrates his own learning and knowledge of the literary tradition around St Martin in this letter. In order to show that Gobert will certain not be lacking material to write about, Guibert expounds the works of several hagiographers and admirers of St. Martin (e.g. Sulpicius Severus, Gregory of Tours, (Ps-) Odo of Cluny, Hildegard of Bingen, Bernard of Clairvaux, ...). He also praises the saint elaborately and argues e.g. that Martin is equal to the martyrs and even the apostles.

Gregorius van Tours, De virtutibus sancti Martini
Sulpicius Severus, Vita Sancti Martini
Venantius Fortunatus, Vita Martini
Sulpicius Severus, Dialogi ad vitam Sancti Martini
Pseudo-Odo Cluniacensis, De reversione beati Martini a Burgundia
Paulinus of Périgieux (in letter confused with Paulinus of Nola)
Bernardus Claraevallensis, Sermo de sancto Martino
Bernardus Claraevallensis, Sermo de sancto Martino
Radbod of Utrecht, Libellus de miraculo s. Martini
Richer of Metz
Visio de sancto Martino

Brussel/Bruxelles, Koninklijke Bibliotheek/Bibliothèque Royale, 1382-1391 (Link)
Brussel/Bruxelles, Koninklijke Bibliotheek/Bibliothèque Royale, 1510-1519 (Link)

Analecta bollandiana, 7 (1888) 282-302 (fragment)

Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina 5646
Bibliotheca Sanctorum, 8 1248-1291
BOEREN (P.C.), 'Maître Gobert, poète belge du XIIe siècle', Archivum latinitatis medii aevi, 31 (1961) 129-133
DELEHAYE (H.), 'Guibert abbé de Florennes et de Gembloux XIIe et XIIIe siècles', in: Revue des questions historiques, 46 (1889) 85-86 (5-90)
DELEHAYE (H.), 'Guiberti Gemblacensis epistula de sancto Martino et alterius Guiberti item Gemblacensis carmina de eodem', Anallecta Bollandiana, 7 (1888) 265-320 265-320
GASNAULT (P.), 'La "Narratio in reversione beati Martini a Burgundia" du Pseudo-Etudes de Cluny', in Saint Martin et son temps, Studia Anselmiana, 46 (Rome, 1961) 169 (159-174)
Index scriptorum operumque Latino-Belgicorum Medii Aevi, 3:1 (Bruxelles, 1979) 116-117
MOENS (S.), 'Twelfth-century epistolary language of friendship reconsidered. The case of Guibert of Gembloux', Revue Belge de philologie et d'histoire/ Belgisch tijdschrift voor filologie en geschiedenis, 88 (2010), 983-1017