Feastday: May 4
When did St. Florian live: in the third century
Biography of Saint Florian:
Saint Florian was an officer of the Roman Army who was stationed in Noricum (now Austria) during the persecution of Diocletian. He, among others, made a bold confession: he declared to be a Christian. He was cruelly tortured and finally set on fire before being thrown into a river called Enns with a stone around his neck. A spiritual woman found his body and buried him. Later on, he was moved to the Augustinian Abbey of St. Florian near Linz from where he was transferred to Rome. Pope Lucius III gave some of St. Florian's relicts to a King of Poland and the Bishop of Cracow.
Patronage: Saint Florian is patron saint of Austria, soap boilers, chimneysweepers and firefighters and is also invoked against fire, floods and drowning
Statues and woodcarvings from Val Gardena of Saint Florian- portrayal, symbolism and emblem: St. Florian is represented as a roman officer with a red coat, a flag and poring water over a burning castle at his feet.