Sebastian 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. He is venerated in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.
Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, by Il Sodoma, c. 1525
St Sebastian (Sebianus) in the Nuremberg Chronicle
Reliquary of Saint Sebastian, c. 1497 (Victoria and Albert Museum, London)
Lodovico Carracci painted St Sebastian Thrown into the Cloaca Maxima for the church at the place where his body was found (1612). The subject is virtually unique.
A martyr is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In colloquial usage, the term can also refer to any person who suffers a significant consequence in protest or support of a cause.
Sculpture at Mehdiana Sahib of the execution of Banda Singh Bahadur by Mughals in 1716
Martyrdom of the seven Hebrew brothers, Attavante degli Attavanti, Vatican Library
From the gallery of 20th century martyrs at Westminster Abbey—l. to r. Mother Elizabeth of Russia, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Archbishop Óscar Romero and Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Illustration of Christian martyrs burned at the stake by Ranavalona I in Madagascar
