Florian ( la, Florianus; 250 – 304 AD) was a
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...
holy man, and the
patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...
of
Linz
Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846.
In 2009, it was a European Capital ...
, Austria;
chimney sweeps; soapmakers, and
firefighters
A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...
. His
feast day
The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context do ...
is 4 May. Florian is also the patron saint of
Upper Austria
Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, an ...
, jointly with
Leopold III, Margrave of Austria.
Life
Florian was born around 250 AD in the ancient Roman city of Aelium Cetium, present-day
Sankt Pölten
Sankt Pölten (; Central Bavarian: ''St. Pödn''), mostly abbreviated to the official name St. Pölten, is the capital and largest city of the State of Lower Austria in northeast Austria, with 55,538 inhabitants as of 1 January 2020. St. Pölten ...
, Austria. He joined the Roman Army and advanced in the ranks,
["St. Florian", Saint Florian Roman Catholic Church]
/ref> rising to commander of the imperial army in the Roman province of Noricum
Noricum () is the Latin name for the Celtic kingdom or federation of tribes that included most of modern Austria and part of Slovenia. In the first century AD, it became a province of the Roman Empire. Its borders were the Danube to the nor ...
. In addition to his military duties, he was also responsible for organizing and leading firefighting brigades. Florian organized and trained an elite group of soldiers whose sole duty was to fight fires.["St. Florian History", Brookline Firefighters Association, Brookline, Massachusetts.]
/ref>
During the Diocletianic Persecution
The Diocletianic or Great Persecution was the last and most severe persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. In 303, the emperors Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius issued a series of edicts rescinding Christians' legal rig ...
of Christians, reports reached Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
that Florian was not enforcing the proscriptions against Christians in his territory. Aquilinus was sent to investigate these reports. When Aquilinus ordered Florian to offer sacrifice to the Roman gods
The Roman deities most widely known today are those the Romans identified with Greek counterparts (see '' interpretatio graeca''), integrating Greek myths, iconography, and sometimes religious practices into Roman culture, including Latin li ...
in accordance with Roman religion
Religion in ancient Rome consisted of varying imperial and provincial religious practices, which were followed both by the people of Rome as well as those who were brought under its rule.
The Romans thought of themselves as highly religious, ...
, Florian refused. Florian was sentenced to be burned at the stake. Standing on the funeral pyre, Florian is reputed to have challenged the Roman soldiers to light the fire, saying "If you wish to know that I am not afraid of your torture, light the fire, and in the name of the Lord I will climb onto it." Apprehensive of his words, the soldiers did not burn Florian, but executed him by drowning him in the Enns River
The Enns (, ) is a southern tributary of the river Danube, joining northward at Enns, Austria. The Enns spans , in a flat-J-shape. It flows from its source near the village Flachau, generally eastward through Radstadt, Schladming, and Liezen, ...
with a millstone
Millstones or mill stones are stones used in gristmills, for grinding wheat or other grains. They are sometimes referred to as grindstones or grinding stones.
Millstones come in pairs: a wikt:convex, convex stationary base known as the ''be ...
tied around his neck.[
His body was later retrieved by Christians and buried at an Augustinian monastery near Lorch. Later a woman named Valeria had a vision in which she saw him; Florian, in this vision, declared his intent to be buried in a more appropriate location.
]
Veneration
Florian is very widely venerated in Central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the a ...
.[St Florian](_blank)
Catholic.org. Accessed 27 September 2022 The Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n town of Sankt Florian is named after him. According to legend, his body was interred at St Florian's Priory, around which the town grew up. His body was eventually removed to the Augustinian Abbey of St Florian, near Linz
Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846.
In 2009, it was a European Capital ...
, Austria.
Florian was adopted as patron saint of Poland in 1184, when Pope Lucius III
Pope Lucius III (c. 1097 – 25 November 1185), born Ubaldo Allucingoli, reigned from 1 September 1181 to his death in 1185. Born of an aristocratic family of Lucca, prior to being elected pope, he had a long career as a papal diplomat. His pa ...
consented to the request of Prince Casimir II to send relics of Florian to that country.[ Kraków thus claims some of his relics.]
A statue of Florian by Josef Josephu was unveiled in Vienna in 1935. It stood at the main firehouse of Vienna, in the city's main square, Am Hof. After the firehouse was bombed in 1945 during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
the statue was moved on to the Fire Brigade Museum (''Wiener Feuerwehrmuseum'').
Seeking the sponsorship of a helpful saint was and still is a part of the namegiving practice in Catholic areas. In the southern, Catholic, parts of the German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
(mainly present Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
and Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
), peasants regularly have used the name, Florian, as one of the given names for at least one of their male children: to secure the saint's patronage against fire. Hence the given name is still widespread in these areas.
In Austria and Germany, fire services use ''Florian'' in radio communications
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...
as universal call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally ass ...
for fire station
__NOTOC__
A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equipment, fire ...
s and fire truck
A fire engine (also known in some places as a fire truck or fire lorry) is a road vehicle (usually a truck) that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to an i ...
s. The call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally ass ...
''Florentine'' for firefighting-related, handheld radio equipment is also derived, somewhat inaccurately, from that usage.
Patronage
Florian is a patron saint of Austria and Poland; also firefighters, chimneysweeps, and brewers. He is invoked against fires, floods, lightning, and the pains of Purgatory
Purgatory (, borrowed into English via Anglo-Norman and Old French) is, according to the belief of some Christian denominations (mostly Catholic), an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process of purgatory ...
.
A famous St. Florian's Church
The Collegiate Church of St. Florian ( pl, Kościół św. Floriana w Krakowie) is a historic church in Kraków, Poland. It stands at the northern end of Matejko Square and the former centre of the mediaeval city of Kleparz, now a district of Kr ...
is located in Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula, Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland un ...
. His veneration
Veneration ( la, veneratio; el, τιμάω ), or veneration of saints, is the act of honoring a saint, a person who has been identified as having a high degree of sanctity or holiness. Angels are shown similar veneration in many religions. Etym ...
has been particularly intense since 1528, when a fire burned the neighborhood without destroying the church.
In contemporary culture
The "Florian Principle" (known in German language areas as "Sankt-Florians-Prinzip") is named after a somewhat ironic prayer to Saint Florian: "''O heiliger Sankt Florian, verschon' mein Haus, zünd' and're an''", equivalent to "O Holy St. Florian, please spare my house, set fire to another one". This saying is used in German much like the English " not in my back yard", when the speaker wants to point out that some person tries to get out of an unpleasant situation by an action that will put others in that very same situation.
In Germany, "Florian" is the call sign for fire engines.
The protagonist in Felix Salten's novel '' Florian: The Emperor’s Stallion'' was named after Florian, as the animal was born on 4 May 1901 in Lipizza, Austria.
Alfred Schnittke's Symphony No. 2, is subtitled "St. Florian".
In multiple cities across Slovakia, streets are named after Saint Florian, often in correlation with local fire departments. Florian Street (''Floriánska ulica'') occurs in historic boroughs of major cities: currently in Košice
Košice ( , ; german: Kaschau ; hu, Kassa ; pl, Коszyce) is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of a ...
( Staré Mesto) and also formerly in Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% of ...
( Staré Mesto).
Gallery
file:Cerkev sv. Andreja, Andraž nad Polzelo - kip sv. Florjana.jpg, St. Florian in St. Andrew's Church in Andraž nad Polzelo (Slovenia)
file:Brama_florianska_Florian.jpg, Bas-relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...
of St. Florian on the Florian Gate of Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula, Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland un ...
file:Saint Florian or George (Austria, 15 c.).jpg,
file:Saint_Florian_Statue.jpg, Statue of St. Florian at a crossroads in Pancevo (Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...
)
file:Saint Florian near Komarówka Podlaska, Poland.JPG, Statue of St. Florian at a crossroads near Komarówka Podlaska
Komarówka Podlaska is a village in Radzyń Podlaski County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Komarówka Podlaska. It lies approximately east of Radzyń Podlaski and nor ...
(Poland)
file:Faint Florian statue.JPG, Statue of Saint Florian, located above the altar at Saint Florian Catholic Church in Ino, Wisconsin, United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
file:FlorianCross_1.svg, The Firefighter's Cross, sometimes mistakenly referred to as a St. Florian Cross
file:FlorianCross 2.svg, Firefighter's Cross variant
See also
* St. Florian's Church
The Collegiate Church of St. Florian ( pl, Kościół św. Floriana w Krakowie) is a historic church in Kraków, Poland. It stands at the northern end of Matejko Square and the former centre of the mediaeval city of Kleparz, now a district of Kr ...
in Kraków, the resting place of St. Florian's relics
References
External links
Catholic Online article
(with primary sources)
St. Florian's Abbey in Austria
Saints of Suds
Firefighter's Cross symbols on historic firefighting objects
Staten Island Historical Society Online Collections Database
at th
Christian Iconography
web site
/ "The Myth of the 'Maltese' Cross in the American Fire Service"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Florian
250 births
304 deaths
4th-century Christian martyrs
Ancient Roman saints
Firefighting
Military saints
People executed by drowning
Christians martyred during the reign of Diocletian