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St Sebastian Altar

St. Sebastian - Martyr
Born - c.256
Died - c. 288 in Rome

Feastday - 20 January

Statue created -  c.1702-1703
Work began on the statue 2 June 1702, and it was delivered 2 August 1703.  A down payment of 10 scudi and the balance of 70 scudi was paid in 1703.

Sculptor - Michele Maglia
This work is typical of the artist's maturity when his approach became more classical, replacing the exuberant, lively Baroque style of his youth.

Height - 3.1 m. (10ft 4in) travertine
The saint has his right wrist tied to the tree trunk. His loins are girded by a cloth, and his body is pierced with arrows.  At his feet is a helmet, and in his left hand is the remains of a palm of martyrdom. The right forearm has been remade twice; in the 1791-94 and the 1831-33 restorations.

The image of St Sebastian pierced by arrows was popular during the renaissance, but the details of his death are considered legendary.  He was from Milan, migrated to Rome and martyred there.  The feastday is that of his burial in the catacombs that bear his name.