Sebastian was a Christain who had entered the army to secretly help victims of the persecution. He aided many, but was eventually denounced and was ordered to be executed. He was taken to a field and shot with arrows. Later that night a woman went to bury him and found him still alive. She looked after him but as soon as he was recovered he went and to where he knew the Emporer would pass - when he did he saluted him and shouted that the Christians were not enemies of the state, and that they prayed for him. He was grabbed and beaten to death, his body thrown in the sewer. Saint Sebastian has been a popular subject for artists since the Rennaissance and seems to have a particular resonance with the gay community.