Bronze Religious Medal

Religious medal of Saint Martin of Tours (Born around 316 to 336, died around 397), patron saint of beggars, cavalry, France, inn keepers, former alcoholics and soldiers.

The latin on the obverse reads "Hic est vere fratrum amator" meaning "This one loves his brothers." St. Martin is depicted as cutting his cloak to give half to a beggar. Later that night, he is said to have seen an apparition of Jesus with the half cloak, an event that provoked him into religious studies. In 371, he became the Bishop of Tours.

On the reverse, the S. Martin stands for Saint Martin. The ship is depicted carrying his body from Candes to Tours.

The medal design can easily be found in copper, pewter or silver today. For this particular piece, I'm not sure how old it is. Given the style, I would say 20th century.