St. Florian was a second century Roman citizen who had a very prestigious positions within the Roman army in Noricum. His duties were primarily to oversee brigades for firefighting and for military battle. When the Roman Empire decided to completely eradicate Christianity from the realm, they asked Florian to make a sacrifice and declare his allegiance to gods other than Jesus Christ. When he refused, he was beaten and then murdered.
Typically, St. Florian is depicted in artwork holding a sword or a shield to reflect his military occupation, and he is often wearing traditional Roman garb. He may also be seen pouring a pitcher of water to symbolically put out flames. Thanks to his occupation, he is a patron saint of firefighters. In Austria, many residents still name their oldest son after this saint in order to protect their homes or farms from fire. Patron Saint of Austria and Poland
