St. Sebastian
c. 256-288
📅 Feast Day: Jan 20
📖 Life Timeline
Unknown
Born in c. 256 AD, Narbonne, Gaul
288 AD
Died — January 20, 288 AD, Rome (clubbed)
Pre-
Canonized — Pre-Tridentine
✝ Biography
SEBASTIAN (St) M. R.M. Jan. 20 d.? 288. One of the most renowned of the Roman martyrs. According to his Acts, which however are not trustworthy, he was an officer in the imperial army and a favourite of Diocletian. Nevertheless when it was discovered that he was a Christian no mercy was shown to him. Tied to a tree, his body was made a target for the Roman archers, and he was finally dispatched with clubs. His cult, both at Rome and at Milan, dates from the 4th century. In 367 Pope St Damasus built a basilica over his tomb on the Appian Way, and this is now one of the seven principal churches of Rome.
Cf. Holw. — Baud. — Ati. — Menzies — Riccr.
SEBASTIAN VALFRE (BI) Orat.
A.C. Jan. 30 1629-1710. Born at Verduno, diocese of Alba, N. Italy, he joined the Oratorians at Turin after his ordinat
🛡 Patronage
Patron of: Soldiers, athletes, plague victims, those seeking protection from disease, and archers.
💬 Words of the Saint
You have not killed me; come, take me by the throat.
📜 Key Facts
Born
c. 256 AD, Narbonne, Gaul
Died
January 20, 288 AD, Rome (clubbed)
Feast Day
Jan 20
Canonized
Pre-Tridentine
🕊 Legacy
Sebastian is one of the most depicted saints in Christian art — almost always shown bound and arrowed. During plague outbreaks throughout medieval Europe, he was invoked for protection. His feast day (Jan 20) was one of the most widely celebrated.
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