Saint Sebastian
Saint Sebastian's feast day is January 20 and died in the year of 268 B.C. He is the patron of archers, soldiers, and athletes. He is the patron of athletes and soldiers because of his
athletic build and because he became a soldier for the Roman Empire. He was the patron of athletes and soldiers because of his
athletic build and because he became a soldier for the Roman Empire. Saint
Sebastian’s history and story is great and I believe everyone should know about
it. Sebastian was born in Narbonne, Gaul and then moved to Rome to serve in the
army under Emperor Carinus. Later he was promoted to Captain under Diocletian.
When the Roman Empire found out he was Catholic and was secretly converting
people to the religion he was ordered to death by execution. Archers shot him
with their arrows and left him to die with massive amounts of blood draining
from the spots where the arrows caught his body. As Sebastian was nearing death
a widow had walked by and took a closer look at him. She found out that he was
alive and quickly brought him back to her house and took care of him until he
was at a normal state of health. The saint then confronted Diocletian. As
Diocletian couldn’t believe his eyes he ordered Sebastian to death again, this
time by beating. The body of Sebastian was thrown into the sewer where another
lady found the body. She had a dream about Sebastian telling her to bury his
body near the catacombs. Saint Sebastian’s martyr is very famous and many renaissance
painters loved to depict it. A martyr is a person who is put to death or
suffering because of a belief, principle, or cause. Sebastian’s martyr was when
he was caught converting people into Catholics and was put to death. Saint
Sebastian helps us learn that we should stick to our gut feeling and do what is
right in our hearts. Sebastian new that if he was caught he would be put to
death but he still insisted on believing in his own religion. Even after he
recovered from getting shot by arrows and being left for dead he still
confronted the Emperor. It was a death wish and Sebastian always stayed strong
and true to his heart. When two people were being sentenced to death Sebastian
encouraged them to stay true to their religion. I chose this saint because he
is the patron of athletes and I am an athlete. I have learned a lot about
religion and sticking to what you believe from researching this saint. I have
learned that life and even what you believe in is like a sports game. No matter
what you can’t give up. In life everyone has their high points and there low
points. For Sebastian his high point was becoming a captain in the army, his
low was getting sentenced to death by arrows. Even after he was beaten down
badly and had to recover from arrow wounds he didn’t give up. Saint Sebastian
has taught me and maybe many other people something very valuable. Even if
someone beats you badly, it could be in a baseball game, football game, or even
a fight, you can’t give up and quit you have to keep trying. This is why Saint
Sebastian is the patron of athletes to me because I and all athletes know that
giving is not an option and Sebastian shows us this quality very well. The most
famous painting of Saint Sebastian is capturing the martyr of Sebastian. It was
painted in 1475 and the names of the painters are Antonio del Pollaiuolo and
Piero del Pollaiuolo. The pictures shows a young man with black hear tied to a
pole and six archers pointing there bow and arrow at him, three arrows had
already struck him. Saint Sebastian teaches us to now give up and stay true to
your religion and beliefs.