a number of things are interesting about St. Martin:
1. He was a patrician's son who converted when it wasn't cool to do so -- the conflicting religions of Mazdaism was the "in-thing" in the army
2. He was born in what is now Hungary
3. His sanctuary in France which was nearly 1500 years old at the time of the French revolution was used as a stable and in 1802 two streets were opened on the site to ensure it would not be rebuilt. Yet it came back like a phoenix.
That sort of thing ~ even the guy's name on a local chapel seems to attract similar events.
Which makes his name a good guidepost to French thought in the background of events.