May 24, dedicated to the holy brothers Cyril (c. 827–869) and Methodius (c. 815–885), born in Thessaloniki, holds an exceptionally important place in the history of Slavic civilization, Christian missionary activity, and the development of Slavic literacy. Cyril, whose secular name was Constantine, was a distinguished philosopher and professor at the Patriarchal School in Constantinople, while Methodius was the abbot of a Greek monastery. At the request of Prince Rastislav of Great Moravia in 862 to send missionaries who would preach Christianity in an understandable language, the Byzantine Emperor Michael III and Patriarch Photius entrusted this mission to Cyril and Methodius. In 863, they began their educational and missionary work among the Slavs, introducing the Slavic language into worship and church preaching. For the needs of this mission, Cyril created the Glagolitic alphabet—the first Slavic script—thereby laying the foundations of Slavic literature and written culture. The brothers translated the most important liturgical books and parts of the Holy Scriptures into Old Church Slavonic, enabling the wider spread of the Christian faith among the Slavic peoples. During their stay in Rome in 868, Pope Adrian II officially approved the use of the Slavic language in the liturgy, giving their mission also a Western Church endorsement. Thanks to their work, Saints Cyril and Methodius remain permanently remembered as the “Apostles to the Slavs” and the founders of the Slavic spiritual and cultural tradition.
Icon: St. Cyril and Methodius, late 19th century, unknown origin
Iconographer: Dimitar Andonov Papradishki