Children from St Martin’s School were guests of honour at the unveiling of a restored painting of St Martin, patron saint of Dover
Primary school children from St Martin’s School in Dover took part in a special act of remembrance at the town’s historic Maison Dieu on Friday, 11 November, marking both Armistice Day and St Martin’s Day.
Whilst 11 November is etched in modern memory as the day when we remember the fallen of two World Wars, it is also the feast day of St Martin of Tours, the patron saint of Dover.
Up until the mid-nineteenth century, St Martin’s Day or Martinmas, was widely celebrated as Dover’s Holy Day. In its heyday, a grand fair marking St Martin’s Day lasted for up to ten days!
As part of their visit, the children were guests of honour at the unveiling of a portrait of St Martin dating from before 1857 which has been restored as part of the £10.1m reawakening of the Maison Dieu with the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The painting is a copy of a work in the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle.
The children learnt about the history of St Martin’s Day in the town, and heard from paintings conservator, Rebeca Gregg. They also had a go at gilding a picture frame or coin.
At 11am the children paused for two minutes silence to mark Armistice Day, followed by the playing of the evocative Last Post.
Finally, the children learnt about the wartime history of the Maison Dieu and the story of the Zeebrugge Bell, which was presented to the people of Dover by His Majesty The King of the Belgians as a memorial to the daring World War I raid on German-occupied Zeebrugge.
Cllr Trevor Bartlett, Leader of Dover District Council, said: “We’re delighted to host the children from St Martin’s School to the Maison Dieu to mark both Armistice Day and St Martin’s Day.
“The Maison Dieu has stood in Dover for over 800 years so has seen most events in the town’s illustrious history. It’s the perfect venue to bring history alive for our younger residents and to mark this special act of remembrance.”