Saint Florian Saint Florian

Various Facts Feast Day: May 4 Born around 250 A.D. in what is now Austria Occupation: Roman soldier Patron Saint of firefighters and Poland

Life Overview Saint Florian’s life is not well documented prior to his time as a Roman Soldier under Emperor Diocletian. Even though Diocletian was infamous for persecuting Christians, Florian adopted Christianity and refused to fulfill this duty, as well as performing pagan sacrifices. This eventually resulted in the discovery of his faith, for which he was condemned to death by being burned. Saint Florian underwent brutal torture, such as scourging and skinning, and was only actually killed by being thrown into a river with a stone tied around his neck, because the flames had failed.

After Death Following his death, Saint Florian’s body was recovered by Christians and taken to an Augustinian monastery, where he would be buried. Also, some relics of Saint Florian were delivered to Poland at the wishes of its King. This association is what provided Saint Florian with patronage of the country.

Miracles There are two main miracles associated with Saint Florian In one instance, it is said that Saint Florian was able to save a town from a fire, simply by putting it out with a bucket of water. This could be a contributor to the decision to grant him patronage of firefighters. Another miracle entails him saving someone from a fire, while he was no longer living. According the story, the person invoked Saint Florian’s name and was granted safety.

Other Events Saint Florian was born into a period of Civil War within the Roman Empire. From around 235-284 A.D. at least sixteen men spent time as emperor. The year 235 A.D. marked the assassination of Alexander Severus, and the Severan Dynasty as a whole. Alexander Severus’ reign was followed by what is called the age of the soldier-emperors. In this period, men would rise to power, most often from the assassination of their predecessor, and would then be killed, likewise. The rulers were often strong military individuals, but were not capable of gaining the support of the army. The age of soldier- emperors came to the end when Emperor Diocletian took control in 284 A.D.

Other Events (Cont.) Around 30 years before Florian’s birth, the Han Dynasty ended in 220 A.D. The decline began due to familial fighting and competition for the throne by many different factions. A warlord, Cao Cao, began to unify the empire through Emperor Xian, and eventual rule through him as well. Despite his efforts, Cao Cao was unsuccessful because of opposition from two other warlords. In a surprising defeat, Cao Cao’s forces were defeated in the Battle of the Red Cliffs. The formal ending came when Cao Cao’s son overthrew Emperor Xian, and created a new state taking the national title of Wei. The two warlords which fought Cao Cao, became emperors with the national titles of Shu and Wu, beginning the period called Three Kingdoms.