St. Sebastian | January 20

St. Sebastian | January 20

Not much is known about the life of St. Sebastian (256 – 287), except that he was a Roman martyr whose name has been mentioned throughout history since early 350.

We see St. Sebastian many times in art, especially from iconic paintings from Guido Reni, Andrea Mantegna and Hendrick ter Brugghen. Historical scholars now agree that a spiritual story has the beloved saint entering the Roman army because only there could he assist Christian martyrs without arousing suspicion on himself. Eventually he was found out, brought before Emperor Diocletian and delivered to Mauritanian archers to be shot to death. Pierced with arrows, he was left for dead, but managed to survive. He recovered from his wounds but still refused to leave.

One day, St. Sebastian took up a position near where the emperor was to pass. He confronted the emperor, condemning him for his cruelty to Christians. This time the sentence of death was carried out, and St. Sebastian was beaten to death with clubs. Today he is the patron saint of athletes.