Fabian was elected Bishop of Rome in 236, despite not being in Holy Orders. He divided Rome into seven diaconates for the purpose of extending aid to the poor. In 250, at the beginning of the persecution of Decius, he won the crown of martyrdom. St Cyprian called him an “incomparable man.” He was buried in the cemetery of St Callistus.
Sebastian came from Milan and, according to legend, was an officer in Diocletian’s imperial guard. After becoming a Christian, he suffered martyrdom in Rome and his tomb on the Via Appia was soon visited by pilgrims. He is often shown in art transfixed with arrows and is a patron of doctors and policemen.