Sebastian Latin : Sebastianus ; c. AD β c. AD was an early Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional belief, he was killed during the Diocletianic Persecution of Christians. He was initially tied to a post or tree and shot with arrows, though this did not kill him. He was, according to tradition, rescued and healed by Irene of Rome , which became a popular subject in 17th-century painting.
In all versions of the story, shortly after his recovery he went to Diocletian to warn him about his sins, and as a result was clubbed to death. Although inconsistent with Catholic Church teaching, some view him as the patron saint of the LGBTQ community , even though the saint himself has no connection to the subject. The oldest record of the details of Sebastian's martyrdom is found in the Chronograph of , which mentions him as a martyr, venerated on January He is also mentioned in a sermon on Psalm by 4th-century bishop Ambrose of Milan : in his sermon, Ambrose stated that Sebastian came from Milan and that he was already venerated there at that time.
The full account of his martyrdom comes from the Passio Sancti Sebastiani , a 5th-century text written by an anonymous author, possibly Arnobius the Younger. Sebastian is a popular male saint, especially today among athletes. There is not much known about Saint Sebastian's early life, but the ancient source mentioning Sebastian is found in the Chronograph of , a compilation of chronological and calendrical texts produced in AD by the calligrapher and illustrator Furius Dionysius Filocalus , which mentions him as a martyr who was venerated on January The first surviving account of Sebastian's life and death is the Passio Sancti Sebastiani , long thought to have been written by Ambrose in the 4th century, but now regarded as a 5th-century account by an unknown author possibly Arnobius the Younger.
This includes the "two martyrdoms", and the care by Irene in between, and other details that remained part of the story. According to Sebastian's 18th-century entry in Acta Sanctorum , [ 9 ] still attributed to Ambrose by the 17th-century hagiographer Jean Bolland , and the briefer account in the 14th-century Legenda Aurea , he was a man of Gallia Narbonensis who was taught in Mediolanum Milan.
In , Sebastian entered the army in Rome under Emperor Carinus to assist the martyrs. Because of his courage he became one of the captains of the Praetorian Guards under Diocletian and Maximian , who were unaware that he was a Christian. According to tradition, Marcus and Marcellianus were twin brothers from a distinguished family and were deacons. Both brothers married, and they resided in Rome with their wives and children. The brothers refused to sacrifice to the Roman gods and were arrested.
