Florian (Latin: Florianus; AD 250 – c. 304) was a Christian holy man and the patron saint of chimney sweeps; soapmakers, and firefighters.

Florian was born around AD 250 in the ancient Roman city of Aelium Cetium, present-day Sankt Pölten, Austria.

Florian organized and trained an elite group of soldiers whose sole duty was to fight fires.

"[5] 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.

After the firehouse was bombed in 1945 during World War II the statue was moved on to the Fire Brigade Museum (Wiener Feuerwehrmuseum).

[2] Seeking the sponsorship of a helpful saint was and still is a part of the namegiving practice in Catholic areas.

A Zalavar monument listing people who died in World Wars 1 & 2 has two or three names of german origin.

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.

[16] In multiple cities across Slovakia, streets are named after Saint Florian, often in correlation with local fire departments.