The Importance of Being Earnest

St.Sebastian by Pietro Perugino (1448-1523), ca. 1495
On the arrow the classical writing in Latin:
"Petrus perusinus pinxit" (tr. painted by Pietro Perugino).

We may find the image of St. Sebastian in many churches in Umbria. He is among the most popular icons of Italian art history and of the history of the Catholic Church (he is the third most important Saint of the Church of Rome, after St. Peter and St. Paul) probably because he was considered an anti-pestiferous and several plagues occurred in Umbria in the Middle Ages and early Renaissance period. In Deruta, the last plague occurred in 1476;  in the area of Fontignano- Piegaro-Città Della Pieve in 1523 and caused the death of one of the greatest artists of the Italian Renaissance art: Pietro Vannucci also known as Pietro Perugino.
Pietro Perugino painted the wonderful St. Sebastian of this image probably around 1495, now the property of the State Ermitage Museum of St.Petersburg, Russia.

Martyrdom of St. Sebastian, Church of St. Sebastian, Panicale
(ca. 1505) 

On the contrary, the St. Sebastian Pietro Perugino painted for the Church of Panicale, Italy (about 15 km. away from Piegaro) is still part of the original church decorations.
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The striking beauty of St. Sebastian by Pietro Perugino is an example of Renaissance art whose aim went beyond the faithful portrait of reality. Art was a way to describe a spiritual rebirth. As a consequence what came through was an idealization of the values of the person in the fresco, who was painted here as a handsome, kind, charitable and earnest young man: an angel.

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St. Sebastian was probably born in Milan and died in Rome (256-288 A.D.). His father was originally from France and his mother was Milanese. He became a Roman soldier and was martyrized because of his joining the Christian faith. He would help prisoners and people in need, he became so pure that he could make miracles, he converted important Romans to the Christian religion to such an extent that his Emperor felt betrayed, being Sebastian one of his most faithful soldiers. Upon his martyrdom St. Sebastian's body was filled with so many arrows that he looked like a porcupine, the story says. St Sebastian benefitted from a miracle himself because he didn't die because of this original martyrdom. A miracle occurred. He died as a consequence of the later flagellation by the order of the same Emperor Diocletian. His body was buried in the catacombs later called after his name: Catacombs of St. Sebastian.

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- Original Posts by Roberta Niccacci -

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