How did saint sebastian become associated with the black death?

The martyrdom of Saint Sebastian is one of the most enduring themes in Western religious art.The execution scene so often portrayed - with the Saint transfixed with arrows - is based on thelegend about his life and death during the reign of the Roman emperor, Diocletian. However, it isthe symbolic association of arrows with the Black Death - during the Middle Ages and during theRenaissance - which identifies Sebastian as the patron saint of plague victims. After more than fourcenturies of recurrent epidemics, the plague died out in Europe; but the image of St Sebastiancontinued to inspire artists until the end of the 19th century.