Florian
comes from Zeiselmauer and was in the 8th century the head of the office of the governor Aquilinus of the Roman province Noricum. After his retirement - possibly because Florian had become a Christian - he lived in Aelium Cetium - today's St. Pölten. During the persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian, governor Aquilinus came to Lauriacum - today's Lorch - to investigate the Christians. 40 Christians were seized and imprisoned after many tortures. Florian hurried to Lauriacum to stand by them in front of his former superior. But Aquilinus also had him arrested, because he refused to renounce Christianity. He was beaten with truncheons, his shoulder blades were broken with sharpened irons, finally he was sentenced to death and with a stone around his neck was thrown from a bridge into the Enns. The 40 confessors died in the dungeon.
He is portrayed as a saint with his instrument of torture - water. That, however, is in a vat.
In the 15th century, this vat was interpreted differently and a legend was created which today explains its significance: that in his youth he is said to have saved a burning house through prayer. They didn't know about this in the eighth century.
Altdorfer: The martyrdom of St. Florian
Oh Holy Saint Florian,
spare my house, set fire to others!
