Patron saint of gays

San Sebastian in Spain, is transformed with the sound of drums and barrels, as parades march through the city and flags are hoisted. However, inthe ruler of the Florentine region, Lorenzo de' Medicidied. Sebastian Considered the main patron saint of gays by many, Sebastian was martyred in Rome in the year on the orders of Emperor Diocletian.

On that day, every year, people come together to celebrate the feast day of the Christian martyr. Oscar Wilde was taken with Guido Reni's painting the figure. Have you ever wondered if there are any homosexual saints? Works in our collection by Bartolomeo di Giovanni, Gaspare Diziani and Maerten De Vos, like most images from this period, show the Saint as a handsome, semi-naked, youth and focus on the moment of his execution.

They depict him tied to a tree or post, his bare torso pierced with arrows, often seemingly deriving a spiritual pleasure from his pain. Bartolomeo di Giovanni later died in poverty and his widow was forced to beg for money from the local church.

How did St Sebastian

We give you 15 fascinating stories of perseverance, love, and faith. The Martyrdom of St. We have seven paintings and drawings of him from the 15th,16th and 17th centuries. Other works in our collection, such as the drawing by Sir Joshua Reynolds copied from one by Guercino produced in focus instead on Saint Sebastian as a protector against the plague and disease.

Martyrdom of St. Sebastian, Bartolomeo di Giovanni, - about. It is these visions of Saint Sebastian, which have endured throughout the 20th and 21st Century. Ultimately we can not say definitively that St Sebastian was a gay man but does that really matter?

The original drawing is believed to have been a preparatory sketch for an altarpiece for the church at Nonantola, near Cento. Queer people have been denied visibility in history for centuries and finding relatability in a religious figure's story is a harmless way for queer people to feel connected to a part of history.

How did iconography of Saint Sebastian become popular in the gay community?