Saint Florian is a Christian saint, and the patron saint of Linz, Austria; chimney sweeps; soapmakers, and firefighters. His feast day is May 4. St. Florian is also the patron of Upper Austria, jointly with Saint Leopold.
St. Florian was born about 250 AD in the ancient Roman city of Aelium Cetiumin in 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 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, he 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 do, I will climb to heaven on the flames." Apprehensive of his words, instead of burning Florian, he was executed by drowning in the Enns River with a millstone tied around his neck.
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.
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The general attributes of sculpture of St. Florian: Roman soldier’s dress, a pitcher of water
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St. Roch - the protector from the plague.He may also be called Rock in English and has the dedication of St. Rollox in Glasgow, Scotland, said to be a corruption of St Roch's Loch.
He is a patron saint of dogs, falsely accused people, bachelors, and several other things. He is also the patron saint of Casamassima, Cisterna di Latina and Palagiano, Italy.
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The general attributes of sculpture of St. Roch: dog, sores, pilgrim’s cane
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Svatý Roch z Montpellieru (okolo 1295? Montpellier – 16. srpna 1327 Montpellier) je francouzský katolický svetec, uctívaný jako patron proti moru.
Podle legendy pocházel ze zámožné rodiny z jihofrancouzského mesta Montpellier. Poté, co mu zemreli rodice, rozdal svuj majetek chudým a vypravil se jako prostý poutník do Ríma. Behem své cesty údajne radu lidí zázracne uzdravil od moru, nakonec se však sám v Piacenze morem nakazil. Uchýlil se do ústraní za mesto, aby tam bez pomoci a sám zemrel, ale pridal se k nemu jakýsi pes, který nemocnému Rochovi prinášel jídlo. Roch se prekvapive uzdravil a vrátil do svého rodného mesta. Tam, nikým nepoznán, byl uvržen do žaláre jako cizí vyzvedac. Roch se svou totožností nikomu nesveril, a tak vyšla najevo teprve poté, co pro nej po petiletém veznení prišla smrt.
Svatý Roch bývá znázornován jako mladý zarostlý muž v poutnickém odení (široký klobouk a hul), který si vykasává odev na noze, takže jsou patrné praskající morové vredy na jeho stehne. Doprovází jej pes, který nekdy olizuje hnis, vytékající z vredu na noze.
Obecné atributy vyobrazení sv. Rocha: bývá znázornován jako zarostlý poutník, ukazující na noze morové boule a vredy. Dalším jeho znakem je pes a andel.