St. Sebastian

A fourth-century collection of writings describing the lives and deaths of early Christian martyrs mentions Saint Sebastian. Although the details are sparse, a picture emerges of a man who was a Roman soldier in the emperor's corps of bodyguards. After secretly converting to Christianity, Sebastian relied on his power and prestige as a royal guard to assist his fellow Christians facing arrest or execution at the hands of the Roman state. Since Christians refused to worship the emperor or venerate the state gods, the emperor had outlawed Christianity and labeled Christians atheists and heretics. When members of the royal guard discovered that Sebastian was a Christian, he was arrested and executed by archers in 288 CE.

Sources: New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia. "St. Sebastian." http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13668a.htm