As a result of his martyrdom and elevation to sainthood, St. Sebastian is venerated not only by the Roman Catholic Church, but also be the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Church. His fame grew and his memory became so revered that over the centuries he was named Patron Saint of: soldiers (infantrymen), youth, archers, armorers, smiths, athletes, diseased cattle, dying people; fletchers, gardeners, gunsmiths, racquet makers, lead workers, masons, iron mongers, lace makers & lace-workers, bookbinders, police, stone masons, stonecutters, plague sufferers, epilepsy sufferers, all children, especially unruly children, funeral directors, potters, swans and those persecuted by the enemies of religion. Thousands of cathedrals, basilicas, churches and chapels were dedicated to St. Sebastian as well as: the Diocese of Bacolod and the Diocese of Tarlac in the Philippines; and the Papal Castel Gandolfo, Italy. Numerous cities were placed under the patronage of St. Sebastian--e.g., Qormi, Malta; Caserta, Italy; Palma, Mallorca; San Sebastian, Spain; Huelva, Spain; Bracciano, Italy; Hünxe, Germany; San Sebastian, Puerto Rico; Rocca Priora, Italy; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Chepan, Peru; and the whole of the Philippines. He also was the Patron Saint of the Pontifical Swiss Guards and Spanish police officers. In the XX^th Century St. Sebastian was unanimously adopted as the patron saint of gay people. This, of course, without the imprimatur of the Congregation. Many view his assumption by the gay world, in part, as being connected with the sadomasochistic nature of the saint's portrayal over the centuries. Unfortunately, with the XX^th Century subsumption of St. Sebastian as the patron saint of the gay community, myriad images were thrown upon the patron's band wagon that other than the subject held little religious meaning. Frequently, most are of little artistic merit, virtually no religious connotation and a justifiable means to portray the totally nude male body.

There may be several reasons for the widespread popularity of this martyr-saint. The Empire by the time of the Emperor Diocletian had reached a high point and was administratively unwieldy. The vicissitudes of ruling the vast Roman Empire became virtually intolerable. Diocletian (r. 284-305 C.E.), in an administrative move, established the tetrarch--i.e., two rulers called Augustus and two assistants named Caesar. One pair ruled the eastern half of the Empire, and the other the western part. The August Emperor Diocletian ruled in Rome. Later the August Emperor Constantine (r. 324-337 C.E.) would reunite the Empire under a single ruler. When Sebastian was found to be a Christian and would not recant his belief, he was condemned by Diocletian, taken out, bound to either a tree or a stake or a column and shot with arrows as noted above. He survived. After being nursed back to health he refused to flee Rome for his own safety. Sebastian then confronted the August Emperor Diocletian on the steps of his palace and berated his persecution of Christians, as well as, it is said, smashing "pagan" idols. This was intolerable! He was summarily re-condemned, taken out and clubbed to death. St Sebastian has the distinction of being double-martyred.

Dying for one's faith and being elevated to sainthood has never been enough to raise one to the dizzying heights of churchly popularity that St. Sebastian has enjoyed over the centuries. He became a saintly super-star, or a super saint! There were numerous martyr-saints before and many were to follow. Most exist in relative anonymity and/or obscurity. But, what has singled out St. Sebastian and elevated him to ecclesiastical super-stardom? It would seem that a number of reasons conspired to accomplish this task. Reasons, which in and of themselves are somewhat disconnected, but when conjoined, they create a situation that elevates this relatively unimportant Roman soldier to celestial realms of a super-martyr. Initially, when Sebastian refused to leave Rome for the safety of the provinces, he placed himself, willingly on a collision course with the August Emperor and eventual death. Diocletian had been particularly vociferous in his persecution of the Early Christians. His stance, his position, his disposition was clear. But, apparently Sebastian stayed in the Imperial employ--a place of danger for him. This may be seen as a passive form of suicide. But, to die for one’s faith had a certain caché in many circles then as now. It must be remembered that the Bible, as we know it today would not appear for another century and the Roman Catholic Church was still foetal at best. So, to die for one’s belief took uncommon courage and deep faith at the time of St. Sebastian.

Secondly, the temerity Sebastian exhibited in confronting the powerful temporal ruler, the August Emperor Diocletian, was revolutionary. Such audacity, such boldness, such impudence was unheard of in a time when most existed in silent, submissive servitude to the all-powerful state. S.P.Q.R. reigned supreme in St. Sebastian’s time. Later, the Fall of the Roman Empire and the Sack of Rome by the barbarians were political crisis of unparalleled consequences at the time. Only the fledgling Church survived, relatively intact.

By the middle of the Medieval or the Romanesque Period there were two powers in Europe vying for ultimate control--i.e., the temporal and the ecclesiastical. No one of any note confronted the temporal or ecclesiastical powers 'til the XI^th Century. Henry IV^th, Holy Roman Emperor opposed Pope Gregory VII^th and was excommunicated. For his audacity he was forced to stand in the snow outside Canossa castle to beg the Pope's pardon. Pierre Abélard made a bold assault on the ecclesiastical power in his professed love for the young Héloïse, her pregnancy and their sub rosa union were not tolerated. The affair became a cause célèbre. But the Church's power was too great for the famed Pierre Abélard and he was forced to retire to a monastery. Not until Martin Luther did anyone challenge the power of the Church with any success. Therefore, the challenge to a power module in the physical form of the Roman Emperor at this time was enough to bring some attention to Sebastian, particularly among the Christians.

A third, and probably the most important reason for his great popularity may be found in his being a patron saint of those suffering from pestilence. The period when St. Sebastian’s popularity ballooned as the patron saint of pestilence seems to have occurred in the last half of the XV^th Century. However, there seems to be some association with pestilence earlier. St. Sebastian is seen by some to be an Early Christian counterpart to the Greco-Roman deity Apollo. Among his many attributes, Apollo was an archer and associated with the healing arts. The Greeks and Romans offered their prayers and sacrifices to him during times of pestilence. He is often portrayed and a handsome, polished young man of grace, elegance and physical beauty. The parallel association with St. Sebastian is obvious, and St. Sebastian became related to the Greco-Roman protector from the pestilence.

In Europe, the Spring of 1348 was the beginning of one of the most terrifying times for the continent. It was the first appearance of the Great Plague, "the Black Death." By 1351 this horrendous pestilence had swept through all Europe with devastating and far reaching effect. Rich and poor were effected with frightening equality, whole families succumbed, those self-isolated in castles or distant towns were not spared, the countryside was equally effected and many cities were severely depopulated. The entire European continent was traumatized to its core. It is conservatively estimated that in this short period of time--i.e., three years--fifty-million people succumbed. Once infected, survival occurred only in the rarest of instances. The appearance of any of a number of symptoms was a death sentence, sure and swift.

Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands sent their supplications heavenward. Prayed to be spared the horrors of the plague. Few prayers were answered as the scythe of death swept indiscriminately across the land. Two saints especially were sought for protection during these horrendous times--i.e., St. Sebastian and St. Roch. There was nothing else! The effect of the Great Plague upon the social, political and economic fabric of Europe was unparalleled, savage, calamitous and devastating. Gypsies, Jews, witches, intellectuals were often seen as agar from which the plague sprang. Never mind that they too suffered equally from the plague. They were swiftly condemned and burned at the stake. Still this juggernaut moved inexorably across Europe and annihilated Christians and Jews, gypsies and princes, teachers and farmers, children and elderly, men and women, priests and infidels. It must be mentioned that Asia and Africa suffered a like fate at this time. No one was spared!

No one knew what it was or where it came from or what to do about it. Although, a number of anthro-pathologists seem to feel that it started in China and spread westward. In the XIX^th Century, the cause of the Great Plague, "the Black Death" was tentatively identified as Bubonic plague. Bubonic plague’s symptoms are: chill, high fever, diarrhea, headache and the swelling of lymph nodes. The Bubonic plague is caused by a bacteria (Yersinia pestis). The period from the onset of the symptoms to death was frighteningly rapid. Generally, however, the appearance of dark splotches on the skin is not a symptom of the Bubonic plague although the lymph nodes do swell painfully.

In the late XX^th Century, a different diagnosis was proffered by forensic anthropologists. The supposition rested upon certain symptoms that were described in writings of the time--i.e., the 14^th through the 17^th Centuries, particularly the appearance of subcutaneous hemorrhaging which created "black" splotches, or dark discolorations just beneath the surface of the skin. This hemorrhaging is not a feature of the Bubonic plague, as noted above, but it is a symptom of Viral Hemorrhagic Fever (VHF)--e.g., the Ebola, Marburg, Lassa, Crimean-Congo and Dengue-Hemorrhagic varieties. The symptoms of viral hemorrhagic fever are: high fever, fatigue, dizziness, muscle aches, loss of strength, exhaustion, dehydration and subcutaneous hemorrhaging. The later symptom--i.e., subcutaneous hemorrhaging--causes what appears to be black splotches under the skin and many feel that this was the reason for the sobriquet "black death." As with the Bubonic plague death comes rapidly after the onslaught of the symptoms. In both the Bubonic plague and Viral Hemorrhagic Fever (VHF) the survival rate was less than 10% without proper care and medication. The Great Plague or the "Black Death" of 1348 -1351 may well have been a result of both the Bubonic Plague and Viral Hemorrhagic Fever, a lethal cocktail, to be sure.

There is considerable evidence to suggest that the plague returned to Europe every generation until sometime after 1700. Major plague outbreaks after 1348 were 1361, 1389, 1496, 1535, 1543, etc. until 1720 when that last major outbreak was recorded. Each infestation was greeted with inordinate fear and concern among the populous of Europe and an almost slavish adherence to the canonical hours of prayer.³ But, each episode appeared to be less and less virulent than the one before and certainly far less devastating than the initial 1348-1351 pandemic. Therefore, it is not untoward that these two saints--i.e., St. Sebastian and St. Roch--who were thought of as patrons against pestilence would be paired and depicted time and time again, particularly during the apparent generational reappearance of the plague. In modern vernacular, it may be said that Europe, as a whole, was suffering from a cultural form of "post traumatic stress syndrome" since the 1348-1351 outbreak. And, St. Sebastian and St. Roch were the only recourse that the general population had at the time!

Therefore, the popularity of St. Sebastian, in part, may be seen to have developed from his martyrdom, his dying for his faith, his belief. When coupled with his strength of character in standing up to and confronting the ultimate power symbol of that period, doubles the luster of this martyr-saint. Finally, his patronage of the sick and pestilence ridden sees the explosion of his popularity after the mid XIV^th Century. Renaissance artists focused on the sensual elements of the martyr-saint--i.e., his youth or young adulthood, his physical and spiritual parallel with Apollo as well as his placid acceptance of his lot. His subsumption by the gay community in the last of the XIX^th Century only spotlighted his already brilliant, lambent popularity.