File:SerBac.jpg

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Modern day icon of Sts. Sergius and Bacchus by Robert Lentz. Historian John Boswell suggested that the men may have been considered united in a rite of early Christian "same-sex union". The names on the icon read "Σεργιος" and "Βακχως" (an alternate or misspelling of "Βακχος").

This image is sourced from the webpage of "Gentle Shepherd Church, The Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch in Richmond Virginia", from their "Our Patron Saints" page at http://www.gentleshepherdrichmond.com/Saints.htm — the image was scaled down by User:Coelacan to maintain low resolution (264×327 pixels in this case) for fair use.

Fair use rationale

Fair use in Saints Sergius and Bacchus

It was suggested that Image:Sergebac7thcentury.jpg can be used in place of this image, however, that image, though public domain, does not give the same information as this one. This image is not intended merely to show what the subjects look like. It was created by a gay artist specifically to present the two men as gay, which was not (presumably) the intention of the creator of Image:Sergebac7thcentury.jpg. The artist's portrayal of the men as gay is expressed in the content this image, making it substantially different from the public domain image, and conveying substantially different information. Thus, as it uniquely illustrates the articles' discussion of the artist's representation of the subjects, it is not replaceable by the public domain image.