From Imperial Rome to the Contemporary Values of the Local Police
Abstract: January 20 marks the commemoration of Saint Sebastian, a central figure in Christian tradition and the patron saint of the Local Police. His story, set within the complex and turbulent context of the 3rd century AD, brings together civic, military, and moral dimensions, offering even today a profound perspective on the meaning of authority exercised as service, loyalty to institutions, and individual responsibility before the law and conscience. Over time, his figure has been adopted as a model of reference for law enforcement bodies and, in particular, for the Local Police, as an example of legality, service to the community, and the protection of human dignity.
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Roberto Cerulli (1971), for over 25 years in the Local Police, currently Chief of the Capalbio (GR) Local Police, a jurist specialized in administrative law and human resources, author of several publications, actively involved in civil and religious volunteer work, he serves as Regional Vice President of the Federation of Tuscan Misericordie and is a member of the Council of Elders of the National Confederation of Misericordie of Italy.
Origins and Historical Context
Saint Sebastian was probably born in Narbonne, in Roman Gaul (present-day southern France), around the middle of the 3rd century AD, into a family integrated within the administrative and social framework of the Empire. He spent his youth in Milan, a city that at the time played a strategic role as a political, military, and administrative center. Milan was in fact one of the imperial capitals and the seat of important military commands, as well as a place where officials and officers destined for positions of responsibility were trained.
In this environment, Sebastian received an education shaped by discipline, respect for the law, obedience to authority, and a strong sense of the State—core values of Roman culture. At the same time, he developed a profound adherence to Christianity, lived not as opposition to the established order but as an inner choice inspired by principles of justice, solidarity, and respect for human dignity.
Military Career and Service to the State
After moving to Rome, Sebastian embarked on a military career under Emperors Diocletian and Maximian, during a period marked by major administrative reforms and a significant strengthening of the Empire’s military and control apparatus. Owing to his personal abilities, upright conduct, and balance in the exercise of his duties, he was appointed an officer of the imperial guard, the corps responsible for protecting the emperor and maintaining public order.
His role was not merely operational but involved responsibilities of command, supervision, and coordination, requiring absolute reliability, self-control, and strict adherence to rules. Tradition portrays him as a respected officer, capable of exercising authority without abuse, interpreting power as a means of safeguarding the community rather than personal assertion.
Silent Commitment and the Protection of the Vulnerable
Alongside his institutional service, Saint Sebastian carried out an intense activity of moral and human support for persecuted Christians. In a discreet and reserved manner, consistent with his position, he visited prisoners, comforted the condemned, supported families affected by repression, and encouraged those facing trials and torture.
According to tradition, Sebastian exercised a profound moral influence even within the military and administrative environment, bearing witness more through example than through words. This silent dimension of his actions represents a central aspect of his character: the ability to act in compliance with rules, without ostentation, placing the individual and substantive justice at the center.
Discovery, Persecution, and the First Sentence
When Sebastian’s Christian faith was discovered, Emperor Diocletian reacted with particular severity, feeling betrayed by a man who enjoyed his trust. A public execution was ordered to serve as a warning and an example. In the Campus Martius, a symbolic place of Roman military authority, Sebastian was bound and pierced by soldiers’ arrows.
Believed to be dead, his body was abandoned. He survived, however, thanks to the intervention of Irene, a Christian widow, who cared for him until his recovery. This episode, central to hagiographic tradition, reinforces the image of Sebastian as a man called to further testimony, not concluded by the first ordeal.
The Choice of Witness and the Final Martyrdom
Once recovered, Sebastian could have permanently escaped persecution. Instead, he chose to publicly confront imperial authority, firmly denouncing the injustices and violence inflicted upon Christians. It was a lucid and conscious decision, made in the name of truth and moral coherence.
For this act, he was condemned a second time and beaten to death. His body was thrown into the Cloaca Maxima in an attempt to erase his memory. Christians nevertheless succeeded in recovering it and burying it along the Via Appia, where the Basilica of Saint Sebastian Outside the Walls was later built—a place of memory and pilgrimage to this day.
Iconographic and Symbolic References
The iconography of Saint Sebastian is among the most widespread and recognizable in Christian tradition. He is almost always depicted as a young soldier, often semi-nude, bound to a tree or column and pierced by arrows. This element does not merely represent the torture he endured but carries strong symbolic meaning: the arrows embody the trials, injustices, and sufferings that strike the righteous person, while the upright posture and serene gaze evoke moral steadfastness and inner resistance.
Over the centuries, especially during the great medieval plagues, Saint Sebastian was also invoked as a protector against epidemics, as arrows were symbolically associated with the scourges afflicting humanity. This dimension strengthens the image of the saint as a defender of the community, a sentinel against visible and invisible dangers.
When present, military attire recalls his belonging to the established order and the value of discipline; the absence of offensive weapons underscores that his strength lies not in violence but in coherence and justice.
Saint Sebastian as Patron: Historical Development
The adoption of Saint Sebastian as the patron saint of surveillance forces and, more recently, of the Local Police, is rooted in his profile as a soldier loyal to the State, entrusted with security and control functions, yet guided by profound moral integrity.
Over time, armed corporations, civic militias, and urban control bodies recognized in him an ideal model of public servant: a man of law, discipline, and responsibility, capable of combining authority with humanity. In Italy, particularly between the 19th and 20th centuries, his figure was progressively embraced as a symbolic reference for Municipal Police Corps and Services, eventually consolidating the tradition of January 20 as the celebratory day of the Local Police.
Saint Sebastian and His Meaning for the Local Police
The figure of Saint Sebastian represents a high synthesis of service to the State, respect for rules, protection of the individual, and closeness to the community. His example recalls the value of legality as the foundation of civil coexistence and the importance of authority exercised with balance, impartiality, and a sense of responsibility.
He embodies the ideal of a Local Police force present in the territory not as a distant power, but as a daily presence of security, legality, and trust, capable of listening and measured intervention.
A Legacy That Remains Relevant
The memory of Saint Sebastian invites every member of the Local Police to renew their daily commitment to the community. His story reminds us that the uniform is прежде of all responsibility, that the exercise of power requires moral balance, and that public service finds its full legitimacy in the protection of the common good.
Saint Sebastian thus remains a symbol of a silent yet essential service, founded on respect for institutions, legality, and the centrality of the person—values that continue to guide the daily actions of the Italian Local Police.
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