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'' (Χρ ...

holy man, and the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholic Church, Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocacy, advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, ...

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 sweep A chimney sweep is a person who clears soot and creosote from chimneys. The chimney uses the pressure difference caused by a hot column of gas to create a draught and draw air over the hot coals or wood enabling continued combustion. Chimneys ...

s; soapmakers, and firefighters. His feast day 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. Pölte ...

, 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 nort ...

. 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 ri ...

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 lit ...

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 with a millstone 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 ...

.St Florian
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 Sankt Florian (also ''Florian'' or ''St.Florian'') is a town in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. It is 10 miles (16 km) from Linz. Sankt Florian is the home of St Florian's Priory, a community of Canons Regular named after Saint Flo ...

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

, 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 (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

), 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 transmitt ...

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 assig ...

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 trucks. The

''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 purgat ...

. A famous

St. Florian's Church ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...

is located in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 159 ...

. 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 NIMBY (or nimby), an acronym for the phrase "not in my back yard", is a characterization of opposition by residents to proposed developments in their local area, as well as support for strict land use regulations. It carries the connotation that ...

", 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 Lipica may refer to several places: Poland *Lipica, Poland, a village in the Province of Warmia-Masuria Serbia *Lipica (Tutin), a village in the Municipality of Tutin Slovenia *Lipica (border crossing), a border crossing near Lipica betw ...

, Austria.

Alfred Schnittke Alfred Garrievich Schnittke (russian: Альфре́д Га́рриевич Шни́тке, link=no, Alfred Garriyevich Shnitke; 24 November 1934 – 3 August 1998) was a Russian composer of Jewish-German descent. Among the most performed and rec ...

'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 Staré ( hu, Sztára) is a village and municipality in Michalovce District in the Kosice Region of eastern Slovakia. History In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1221. Geography The village lies at an altitude of 107 metr ...

) 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% o ...

(

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

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 Hung ...

) 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 nort ...

(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 primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

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

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