Saint Sebastian is one of the great early Christian martyrs, venerated for his courage and unwavering faith. He was a Roman soldier in the late 3rd century, traditionally serving in the elite Praetorian Guard under Emperors Diocletian and Maximian. Secretly, however, he was a committed Christian, offering encouragement to imprisoned believers and inspiring others to remain strong in the face of persecution. When his faith was discovered, he was sentenced to death by being tied to a stake and shot with arrows. This dramatic scene made him one of the most depicted saints in Western art. Left for dead, he was found still alive by a Christian woman named Irene (Saint Irene of Rome, celebrated 3 April), who nursed him back to health. Rather than flee, Sebastian confronted the Emperor again, boldly denouncing the persecution of Christians.
This fearless act led to his second and final martyrdom: he was beaten to death and his body thrown into Romeâs sewers, later recovered and lovingly buried in the catacombs along the Appian Way â now the site of the Basilica of St Sebastian. Over the centuries, Sebastian became a symbol of resilience and hope, often invoked for protection against plagues, because arrows were seen as metaphors for sudden, deadly illness.
Ricardo Motillaâs Saint Sebastian is a monumental bronze sculpture created in 2008 that greets visitors at the entrance to the Art and History Museum of Guanajuato in the city of León, Mexico. The work, which stands around five metres tall and weighs over a tonne, represents the Roman martyr pierced by arrows, capturing his immense suffering, with his body bending in pain. His steadfast witness, and this contemporary artistic interpretation serve as a powerful public symbol of faith.
