January 20 is the joint feast of Sts. Fabian and Sebastian, two Roman martyrs commemorated together since the early martyrologies. Fabian was Pope from 236 to 250, and was martyred on January 20, 250, in the persecution of Decius. Eusebius records that, when the assembly was gathering to elect a new Pope, a dove landed on Fabian's head — a sign the assembly took as the Holy Spirit's choice. He was the first Pope to die a martyr.
Sebastian was a soldier of the imperial guard, martyred under Diocletian c. 288. He had secretly assisted the Christian prisoners of Rome, and when he was discovered, the Emperor ordered him shot with arrows — the episode that made him the most painted of the early martyrs, from Piero della Francesca to Mantegna. He survived the arrows, was rescued by St. Irene, and was then clubbed to death. His relics are venerated in the Basilica of San Sebastiano on the Via Appia, at Rome, the catacomb that bears his name.
The two feasts were joined in the Tridentine calendar and kept together on January 20. The 1969 reform kept them on the same date as an optional memorial. From Rome, where both died and are venerated, the January 20 feast is the feast of the Pope and the soldier, two early martyrs of the city.
