Official feasts used to be an important part of the human community. People would gather together to remember something sacred, express their faith and hope for the future, and / or just be together formally, recognizing each other as being part of a shared community. Few things express a desire for shared companionship and social intimacy more than dining together. Sadly, the gathering together for feasting is increasingly a relic of the past – at least here in the West.
It need not be so! Today we will remember the ancient feasts.
The Feast of St. Florian
This feast day is a Christian religious celebration of Florian, a 3rd and 4th century holy man and martyr. He is a patron saint of Linz, Austria & Upper Austria, Kraków, Poland, chimneysweeps, firefighters, soap boilers.
Who is St. Florian?
Florian (Latin: Florianus; AD 250 – c. 304) was a Christian holy man and the patron saint of chimney sweeps; soapmakers, and firefighters. His feast day is 4 May. Florian is also the patron saint of Poland, the city of Linz, Austria, and Upper Austria, jointly with Leopold III, Margrave of Austria.
Life
Florian was born around AD 250 in the ancient Roman city of Aelium Cetium, present-day Sankt Pölten, Austria. He joined the Roman Army and advanced in the ranks, rising to commander of the imperial army in the Roman province of Noricum. 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.
During the Diocletianic Persecution of Christians, reports reached Rome 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 in accordance with Roman religion, 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 instead.
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. His feast day is 4 May. The Austrian town of Sankt Florian is named after him. According to legend, his body was interred at St. Florian Monastery, around which the town grew up.
Florian was adopted as patron saint of Poland in 1184, when Pope Lucius III 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 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 and Austria), 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.
St Florian was also celebrated in Hungary.
Two statues celebrating Saint Vendel and Saint Florian are in a small square in Zalavar village. They sit on separate similar plinths next to each other. (This arrangement and the style of the statues appears to be in the period 1900-1930.
The statues are not outside the village churches. (Many villages in west Hungary have two christian churches – catholic and protestant.)
Before 1920 german was the dominant language in hundreds of villages in Hungary, although Zalavar appears to be not in the main german speaking areas.
A Zalavar monument listing people who died in World Wars 1 & 2 has two or three names of german origin. Zalavar cemetery has very few graves displaying names of german origin. I
In oldest section of the cemetery furthest from the road most graves have no headstone.)
Patronage
Florian is a patron saint of Upper Austria and Poland; also firefighters, chimneysweeps, and brewers. Florian is associated with brewers because of a legendary incident in which he miraculously stopped a fire with a single pitcher of water. That is why he is often depicted holding a pitcher. Florian is also the patron of chimney sweeps, Austria, Poland and soap boilers.
Florian is invoked against fires, floods, lightning, and the pains of Purgatory.
A famous St. Florian’s Church is located in Kraków, Poland. His veneration 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 Austria and 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 (Staré Mesto) and also formerly in Bratislava (Staré Mesto).
What do you eat for the Feast Day of St. Florian?
First, here are some ideas for how to celebrate, via princeofpeacetaylors.org
Ideas for celebrating this feast at home:
- Decorate your dinner table with red, the color of martyrs. Enjoy an Austrian or Polish meal. Since St. Florian is also the patron of brewers, enjoy a good brew tonight in his honor.
- Visit your local fire station and deliver treats and thank you’s. Say this prayer to St. Florian for firefighters.
- Celebrate St. Florian’s feast day with a FIRE! Light up the fireplace or build a big backyard bonfire. Roast marshmallows. Sit by the fire telling stories of the saints and tell children what it means to be a martyr and why we must all be ready to die for our Faith.
- Finish the day with a family prayer time; include a Litany of the Saints.
Due to this saint’s association with Austria, I am going to recommend a very famous Austrian dish:
Wiener Schnitzel
via allrecipes.com
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds veal cutlets
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon minced parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 cup dry bread crumbs
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 4 slices lemon
Directions
- Place veal cutlets between 2 sheets of heavy plastic on a solid, level surface. Firmly pound cutlets with the smooth side of a meat mallet to a 1/4-inch thickness. Dip cutlets in flour to coat; shake off excess.
- Beat eggs, Parmesan cheese, milk, parsley, salt, pepper, and nutmeg together in a shallow bowl until combined. Place bread crumbs on a plate.
- Dip each cutlet into the egg mixture, then press in bread crumbs to coat. Place coated cutlets on a plate and refrigerate for 1 hour to overnight.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook breaded cutlets in butter until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer cutlets to a serving platter and pour pan juices over them. Garnish with lemon slices.
What is a prayer to say for the Feast Day of St. Florian?
(via catholicnewsworld.com)
Prayer to St. Florian for Firefighters (Recited by Firefighters) Dear God, through the intercession of our patron, Saint Florian, have mercy on the souls of our comrades who have made the supreme sacrifice in the performance of their duty, and on all who have gone before us after years of faithful discharge of their responsibilities which now rest on ourselves. Give us Grace to prepare each day for our own summons to Thy tribunal of justice. Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my Spirit, wherever Thou callest me, I am ready to go. Merciful Father of all men, save me from all bodily harm, if it be thy will, but above all, help me to be loyal and true, respectful and honorable, obedient and valiant. Thus fortified by virtue, I shall have no fear, for I shall then belong to Thee and shall never be separated from Thee. Amen.
When is the Feast Day of St. Florian celebrated?
This feast is celebrated on 4 May by both Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox.
I hope everyone who celebrates has a wonderful day!