Despite his fame as the saint shot through with arrows in innumerable Renaissance paintings, we know little of this 3rd century Roman martyr, buried in the church catacomb bearing his name on the Appian Way. Traditionally he was a soldier promoted by the Emperor Diocletian to the rank of captain of the pretorian guard. His Christian faith only became known when he tried to protect victims of Diocletian's persecutions, whereupon he became one more of the Emperor's victims.