Sebastian was, according to tradition, an officer in the Roman imperial guard under Emperor Diocletian who secretly used his position to encourage and support Christians condemned to death during the persecutions of the late third century. When his own faith was discovered, he was sentenced to be shot with arrows and left for dead. He survived the ordeal, was nursed back to health, and rather than flee, confronted the emperor directly about the cruelty of the persecutions. He was then clubbed to death and his body cast into a sewer, from which Christians later recovered it for burial.
Sebastian became one of the most widely depicted saints in Christian art, his survival of the arrows making him a popular subject for painters for over a thousand years. He is invoked as a patron of soldiers and athletes, and against plague.
Saint Sebastian
Martyr of Rome
A Roman soldier who secretly aided persecuted Christians and, after surviving an execution by arrows, was ultimately clubbed to death for his faith.
- Died
- 288
- Birthplace
- Narbonne or Milan
- Died in
- Rome, Italy
- Country
- Italy
- Century
- 3rd century
Categories
Why People Pray to Saint Sebastian
Saint Sebastian is invoked for physical protection and courage under persecution, and traditionally against plague and epidemic illness.
