Saint Sébastien: histoire d’une assimilation culturelle
Saint Sebastian: The History of Cultural Assimilation

Summary/Abstract: The article proposes to review the history of cultural evolution of the image of St Sebastian starting from the 3rd century up till now. The first part of the analysis focuses on the sources of the legend, the original cult of the Saint as well as on its early literary and artistic representations. The following part highlights the metamorphosis of the image of St Sebastian in painting and attempts to clarify how he became a “gay icon” due to being a subject for a safe representation of male nudity. However, even though such perception becomes predominant and enters modern literature as a distinctive sign in LGBT culture, the last part of the study evokes also some other incarnations of the Saint, which seem to reconnect to his primary pattern of meaning.

• Details
• Contents