Florian Cross
A Floriani cross is a field cross or, in rare cases, a memorial cross , which was erected in honor of St. Florian , the patron saint of the fire brigade . Often a Floriani cross is supposed to remind of a past fire disaster or the accidents of fire fighters.
Floriani crosses are particularly widespread in Catholic regions, including Austria, since Saint Florian was born in Cannabiaca , today's Zeiselmauer near Tulln , and died in Lauriacum, today's Lorch in Upper Austria.
The crosses are designed very differently, you can find simple wooden or metal crosses as well as more elaborate and older stone crosses, some of the crosses are roofed to protect against the weather. As Floriani cross they are recognizable by niche figures of St. Florian, represented with a water bucket, burning house and flag, or by the mere representation of these symbols. Crucifix representations , on the other hand, are unusual.
Well-known Floriani crosses
- The Florianikreuz von Lorch was set up in the place of death of the patron saint and marks the starting point of various pilgrimages, for example to the basilica in Sankt Florian, 13 kilometers away .
- The four-meter-high and two-meter wide Florianikreuz from Oberpiesting in the municipality of Waldegg is in the Hetzental , at the height of the so-called Hart . It was inaugurated on May 8, 2004 in memory of the largest documented forest fire in the Piestingtal, which raged from January 1 to 6, 1984 20 years earlier, at the place where the fire started. The fire destroyed 400 hectares of forest, a total of 90 fire brigades with 1080 men were in action, support from the air came from a fire brigade helicopter and two fire-fighting aircraft from the Austrian Armed Forces . Today the Florianikreuz von Oberpiesting is known for its view over the Piestingtal and the Schneeberg .
Footnotes
- ↑ Josef Mliner: The Floriani Cross . In: Waldegger Chronik. Episode 93, No. 3, 2004, pp. 7–8 ( Memento of the original from February 15, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
