Saint Florian Office in the Medieval Cracow Breviaries

Abstract

The liturgical cult of Saint Florian in the Cracow Church was developing rapidly in medieval times. A few dozen years after his relics had been brought to Cracow , a native patron – Saint Stanislaus- became a saint. Since then the cult of a foreign and unknown martyr deteriorated. The revival of Saint Florian’s cult was possible under the influence of Zbigniew Oleśnicki, a bishop who appointed him as patron saint of the whole Polish Kingdom, thus making him equally important as Saint Adalbert, Saint Stanislaus and Saint Wacław. Since that time the liturgical cult of Saint Florian was of high significance, which can be certified by liturgical texts and formulas found in Cracow medieval breviaries. The analysis of their content leads to the conclusion that the older the breviaries, the fewer texts mentioning Saint Florian. The oldest breviaries contain only the liturgical collect referring to him. The newer ones are gradually enriched with the elements of choral liturgy and lessons originating from the legend about Saint Florian. Between the 15th and 16th centuries the liturgy in honor of Saint Florian culminates in the rhymed office.