# Cyril and Methodius

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9th-century Byzantine Christian theologians and missionaries

"Saints Cyril and Methodius" redirects here. For other uses, see [Saints Cyril and Methodius (disambiguation)](/source/Saints_Cyril_and_Methodius_(disambiguation)).

Saints Cyril and Methodius "Saints Cyril and Methodius holding the Cyrillic alphabet," a mural by Bulgarian iconographer Z. Zograf, 1848, Troyan Monastery Bishops and Confessors Equals to the Apostles Patrons of Europe Apostles to the Slavs Born 826 or 827 and 815 Thessalonica, Byzantine Empire (present-day Greece) Died (869-02-14)14 February 869 and (885-04-06)6 April 885 (41 or 42 and 70) Rome and Velehrad, Great Moravia Venerated in Eastern Orthodox Church Catholic Church Anglican Communion[1] Lutheranism[2] Feast 11 and 24 May[3] (Eastern Orthodox Church) 14 February (present Latin Catholic calendar); 5 July (Latin Catholic calendar 1880–1886); 7 July (Latin Catholic calendar 1887–1969) 5 July (Latin Catholic and Lutheran Czech Republic and Slovakia) Attributes Brothers depicted together; Eastern bishops holding up a church; Eastern bishops holding an icon of the Last Judgment.[4] Often, Cyril is depicted wearing a monastic habit and Methodius vested as a bishop with omophorion. Patronage Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Transnistria, Serbia, Archdiocese of Ljubljana, Europe,[4] Slovak Eparchy of Toronto, Eparchy of Košice[5]

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**Cyril** ([Greek](/source/Greek_language): Κύριλλος, [romanized](/source/Romanization_of_Greek): *Kýrillos*; born Constantine [[Greek](/source/Greek_language): Κωνσταντίνος, [romanized](/source/Romanization_of_Greek): *Konstantínos*]; 826–869) and **Methodius** (Μεθόδιος, *Methódios*; born Michael [[Greek](/source/Greek_language): Μιχαήλ, [romanized](/source/Romanization_of_Greek): *Michaíl*]; 815–885) were brothers, [Byzantine](/source/Byzantine) [Christian theologians](/source/Christian_theologian) and [missionaries](/source/Christian_missionaries). For their work [evangelizing](/source/Evangelism) the [Early Slavs](/source/Early_Slavs), they are known as the "Apostles to the Slavs".[6]

They are credited with devising the [Glagolitic alphabet](/source/Glagolitic_alphabet), the first alphabet used to transcribe [Old Church Slavonic](/source/Old_Church_Slavonic).[7] After their deaths, their pupils continued their missionary work among other Slavs. Both brothers are venerated in the [Eastern Orthodox Church](/source/Eastern_Orthodox_Church) as [saints](/source/Saint) with the title of "[equal-to-apostles](/source/Equal-to-apostles)". In 1880, [Pope Leo XIII](/source/Pope_Leo_XIII) introduced their feast into the calendar of the [Roman Rite](/source/Roman_Rite) of the [Catholic Church](/source/Catholic_Church). In 1980, the first Slav pope, [Pope John Paul II](/source/Pope_John_Paul_II) declared them co-[patron saints](/source/Patron_saint) of Europe, together with [Benedict of Nursia](/source/Benedict_of_Nursia).[8]

## Early career

### Early life

The two brothers were born in [Thessalonica](/source/Thessalonica), at that time in the Byzantine [province of the same name](/source/Thessalonica_(theme)) (today in [Greece](/source/Greece)) – Cyril in 827–828, and Methodius in 815–820. According to the *Vita Cyrilli* ("The Life of Cyril"), Cyril was reputedly the youngest of seven brothers; he was born Constantine,[9] but was given the name Cyril upon becoming a monk in Rome shortly before his death.[10][11][12] Methodius was born Michael and was given the name Methodius upon becoming a monk in [Polychron](/source/Polychron) Monastery at [Mysian](/source/Mysia) Olympus (present-day [Uludağ](/source/Uluda%C4%9F) in northwest [Turkey](/source/Turkey)).[13] Their father was Leo, a *[droungarios](/source/Droungarios)* of the Byzantine [theme](/source/Theme_(Byzantine_district)) of Thessalonica, and their mother's name was Maria.

The exact ethnic origins of the brothers are unknown; there is controversy as to whether Cyril and Methodius were of [Slavic](/source/Early_Slavs)[14] or [Greek](/source/Greeks)[15] origin, or both.[16] The two brothers lost their father when Cyril was fourteen, and the powerful minister [Theoktistos](/source/Theoktistos), who was *[logothetes tou dromou](/source/Logothetes_tou_dromou)*, one of the chief ministers of the Empire, became their protector. He was also responsible, along with the regent [Bardas](/source/Bardas), for initiating a far-reaching educational program within the Empire which culminated in the establishment of the [University of Magnaura](/source/University_of_Magnaura), where Cyril was to teach. Cyril was ordained as [priest](/source/Priesthood_(Catholic_Church)) some time after his education, while his brother Methodius remained a [deacon](/source/Deacon) until 867/868.[17]

### Mission to the Khazars

About 860, [Byzantine Emperor](/source/Byzantine_Emperor) [Michael III](/source/Michael_III) and the [Patriarch of Constantinople](/source/Ecumenical_Patriarch_of_Constantinople) [Photius](/source/Photios_I_of_Constantinople), a professor of Cyril's at the university and his guiding light in earlier years, sent Cyril on a missionary expedition to the [Khazars](/source/Khazars) who had requested a scholar be sent to them who could converse with Jews and Saracens.[18] It has been claimed that Methodius accompanied Cyril on the mission to the Khazars, but this may be a later invention. The account of his life presented in the [Latin](/source/Latin_language) *"Legenda"* claims that he learned the Khazar language while in [Chersonesos](/source/Chersonesos_Taurica), in [Taurica](/source/Taurica) (modern [Crimea](/source/Crimea)).

After his return to Constantinople, Cyril assumed the office of professor of [philosophy](/source/Philosophy) in the university. His brother by this time had become a significant figure in Byzantine political and administrative affairs, and abbot of his monastery.

## Mission to the Slavs

### Great Moravia

Cyril and Methodius, painting by [Jan Matejko](/source/Jan_Matejko), 1885

In 862, the brothers began the work which would give them their historical importance. That year Prince [Rastislav](/source/Rastislav_of_Moravia) of [Great Moravia](/source/Great_Moravia) requested that Emperor Michael III and Patriarch Photius send missionaries to evangelize his Slavic subjects. His motives in doing so were probably more political than religious. Rastislav became King with the support of the [Frankish](/source/Franks) ruler [Louis the German](/source/Louis_the_German), though he subsequently sought to assert his independence from the Franks. That Cyril and Methodius might have been the first to bring Christianity to [Moravia](/source/Moravia) is a common misconception; Rastislav's letter to Michael III stated clearly that his people "had already rejected paganism and adhere to the Christian law."[19] Rastislav is said to have expelled missionaries of the [Roman Church](/source/Roman_Catholic_Church) and instead turned to Constantinople for ecclesiastical assistance and, presumably, political support.[20] The Emperor quickly chose to send Cyril, accompanied by his brother Methodius.[21] The request provided a convenient opportunity to expand Byzantine influence. Their first work seems to have been the training of assistants. In 863 they began translating the [Gospels](/source/Gospel) and essential [liturgical books](/source/Eastern_Orthodox_worship#Liturgical_books) into what is now known as [Old Church Slavonic](/source/Old_Church_Slavonic),[22] and travelled to Great Moravia to promote it.[23] This endeavour was amply rewarded. However, they came into conflict with German clerics, who opposed their efforts to create a specifically Slavic liturgy.

For the purpose of this mission, they devised the [Glagolitic script](/source/Glagolitic_script), the first alphabet to be used for Slavonic manuscripts. The Glagolitic alphabet was suited to match the specific features of the Slavonic language. Many languages continue to use its descendant script, Cyrillic.[20]

The brothers wrote the first Slavic [Civil Code](/source/Civil_Code), which was used in Great Moravia. Many Orthodox churches and some [Eastern Catholic](/source/Eastern_Catholic) churches continue to use the language derived from Old Church Slavonic, known as [Church Slavonic](/source/Church_Slavonic), in their liturgies.

Exactly how much the brothers translated is impossible to know. The [New Testament](/source/New_Testament) and the [Psalms](/source/Psalms) seem to have been the first, followed by other lessons from the [Old Testament](/source/Old_Testament).[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] The *"Translatio"* speaks only of a version of the [Gospels](/source/Gospel) by Cyril, and the *"Vita Methodii"* only of the *"evangelium Slovenicum"*, though other liturgical selections may also have been translated.

Nor is it known for certain which liturgy, whether of Rome or Constantinople, they used as a source. They may well have used the [Roman alphabet](/source/Latin_alphabet), as hinted by liturgical fragments adhering closely to the Latin type. This view is confirmed by the "Prague Fragments" and by certain Old [Glagolitic](/source/Glagolitic) liturgical fragments brought from [Jerusalem](/source/Jerusalem) to [Kiev](/source/Kiev) and discovered there by [Izmail Sreznevsky](/source/Izmail_Sreznevsky)—probably the oldest document in the Slavonic tongue; examples of where they resemble the Latin type include the words "Mass", "Preface", and the name of one "Felicitas". Regardless, the circumstances were such that the brothers could have hoped for no lasting success without authorization from Rome.

### Journey to Rome and Death of Cyril

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Saints Cyril and Methodius in Rome. Fresco in San Clemente

The mission of Cyril and Methodius had great success among Slavs in part because they used the people's native language rather than [Latin](/source/Latin) or Greek. In [Great Moravia](/source/Great_Moravia), Cyril and Methodius also encountered missionaries from [East Francia](/source/East_Francia), who would have represented the western, i. e. Latin, Church; epitomized the [Carolingian Empire](/source/Carolingian_Empire) that [Charlemagne](/source/Charlemagne) established; and been intent on linguistic, cultural, and liturgical uniformity with its [Roman Rite](/source/Roman_Rite) in [Latin](/source/Latin). They regarded Moravia and the Slavs as subject to their rightful missionary territory.

When friction developed with these western missionaries, the brothers, unwilling to cause dissension with fellow Catholics, decided to travel to Rome to consult the Pope as to a solution that would avoid quarrelling between missionaries in the field. In 867 [Pope Nicholas I](/source/Pope_Nicholas_I) (858-67) invited the brothers to Rome. Their evangelical mission in Moravia by this time had become the focus of a dispute with Archbishop Adalwin of Salzburg (859–73) and Bishop [Ermanrich](/source/Ermanrich%2C_Bishop_of_Passau) of [Passau](/source/Bishop_of_Passau) (866-74), who claimed ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the same territory and desired converts there to use the Roman Rite exclusively.

With them they brought the relics of [Pope Saint Clement I](/source/Pope_Clement_I) and many disciples. They passed through [Pannonia](/source/Pannonia) (the [Balaton Principality](/source/Balaton_Principality)), where Prince [Koceľ](/source/Koce%C4%BE) received them well. Their activity in Pannonia made inevitable the continuation of conflicts with the German episcopate, and especially with the Bishop of [Salzburg](/source/Salzburg), whose prerogative Pannonia had been for 75 years. As early as 865, Bishop Adalwin exercised episcopal rights there. The administration under him was in the hands of Archpriest Riehbald. He was obliged to retire to Salzburg, though his superior was instinctively disinclined to abandon his claim.

The brothers sought support from Rome, and were received warmly there in 868. This was partly because they brought the relics of Saint Clement, and rivalry with the [Patriarchate of Constantinople](/source/Patriarchate_of_Constantinople) regarding the territory of the Slavs would have inclined Rome to value the brothers and their influence.[20]

In Rome the brothers were praised for their learning and cultivated for their influence in Constantinople. [Anastasius Bibliothecarius](/source/Anastasius_Bibliothecarius) later called Cyril "a man of apostolic life" and "a man of great wisdom".[24] The new [Pope Adrian II](/source/Pope_Adrian_II) (867-72) gave Papal support to their mission in Moravia and formally authorized use of the new Slavic liturgy of the brothers.

Subsequently, the Pope himself ordained Methodius as priest, and five Slavic disciples were ordained: [Saint Gorazd](/source/Saint_Gorazd), [Saint Clement of Ohrid](/source/Clement_of_Ohrid), and [Saint Naum](/source/Saint_Naum) as priests and [Saint Angelar](/source/Saint_Angelar) and [Saint Sava](/source/Saint_Sava_(disciple_of_Saints_Cyril_and_Methodius)) as deacons by the prominent bishops [Formosus](/source/Pope_Formosus) and Gauderic.[25] Since the 10th century Cyril and Methodius and these five disciples have been venerated together by the [Bulgarian Orthodox Church](/source/Bulgarian_Orthodox_Church) as the "[Seven Saints](/source/Seven_Apostles_of_Bulgarian_Orthodox_Church)".[26][27] The new priests officiated in their own language at the altars of some of the principal churches.

Sensing his death approaching, Cyril, theretofore known as *Constantine*, became a [Basilian monk](/source/Basilian_monks) and was given the new name *Cyril*.[28] He died in Rome 50 days later on 14 February 869. There is some question whether he had been ordained as a bishop, as is asserted in the *Translatio* (IX). Upon the death of Cyril, Methodius was given the title of Archbishop of [Sirmium](/source/Sirmium) (modern [Sremska Mitrovica](/source/Sremska_Mitrovica), in [Serbia](/source/Serbia)) with jurisdiction of all of Moravia and Pannonia, and authority to celebrate the Slavonic Liturgy.[29] The statement of the *"Vita"* that Methodius was ordained as a bishop in 870 and not elevated to the dignity of archbishop until 873 is contradicted by the brief of [Pope John VIII](/source/Pope_John_VIII) of June 879, according to which Pope Adrian consecrated him archbishop; John included in his jurisdiction Serbia in addition to Great Moravia and Pannonia.

### Second Mission of Methodius

Methodius' signature in the confraternity book (CH-001864-5 Ms. Rh. hist. 27 f. [40r](https://www.e-codices.unifr.ch/de/zbz/Ms-Rh-hist0027/40r-53))

Methodius continued the mission among the Slavs alone; not at first in [Great Moravia](/source/Great_Moravia), but in [Pannonia](/source/Pannonia), specifically in the [Balaton Principality](/source/Balaton_Principality). Political circumstances in Great Moravia were insecure. Rastislav had been taken captive by his nephew, [Svatopluk](/source/Svatopluk_I) in 870, then delivered to [Carloman of Bavaria](/source/Carloman_of_Bavaria), and condemned in a [diet](/source/Reichstag_(Holy_Roman_Empire)) in [Regensburg](/source/Regensburg) in late 870. Meanwhile, the East Frankish rulers and their bishops tried to depose Methodius. The archiepiscopal authority of Methodius was considered so threatening to the jurisdiction of Salzburg that he was captured and forced to answer to the East Frankish bishops Adalwin of Salzburg, Ermanrich of Passau, and Anno of Freising. After heated discussion, they declared Methodius deposed and ordered him to be sent to a monastery in modern Germany, where he was imprisoned for two and one half years.[30]

The location of Methodius' imprisonment was not recorded in the *Vita Methodii*, but relatively recent scholarship identified a set of signatures in the [Reichenau Confraternity Book](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Reichenau_Confraternity_Book&action=edit&redlink=1) [[de](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbr%C3%BCderungsbuch_der_Abtei_Reichenau)] that lends credence to the proposal that it was at [Reichenau Abbey](/source/Reichenau_Abbey). First comes Methodius' own signature, writing with such pressure that he broke the [nib](/source/Nib_(pen)). The same hand then wrote the following names below it, presumably his entourage: [Λεον](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Leon_(disciple_of_Methodius)&action=edit&redlink=1) [[pt](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le%C3%A3o_(disc%C3%ADpulo_de_Met%C3%B3dio))],[31] [Ιγνατιος](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ignatius_(disciple_of_Methodius&action=edit&redlink=1) [[pt](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/In%C3%A1cio_(disc%C3%ADpulo_de_Met%C3%B3dio))],[32] [Ϊοακιν](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joachin_(disciple_of_Methodius)&action=edit&redlink=1) [[pt](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joaquim_(disc%C3%ADpulo_de_Met%C3%B3dio))],[33] [Συμεον](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Symeon_(disciple_of_Methodius)&action=edit&redlink=1) [[pt](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sime%C3%A3o_(disc%C3%ADpulo_de_Met%C3%B3dio))],[34] and [Δραγαϊς](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dragais&action=edit&redlink=1) [[pt](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragais_(disc%C3%ADpulo_de_Met%C3%B3dio))].[35] None of these names were recorded in surviving sources, but the last one is Slavic.[36]

Notwithstanding strong representations of the *[Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum](/source/Conversio_Bagoariorum_et_Carantanorum)* of 871, written to persuade the Pope though not conceding this purpose, Rome declared emphatically for Methodius. The Pope sent Paul, [Bishop of Ancona](/source/Bishop_of_Ancona) to reinstate him and punish his enemies, after which both parties were ordered to appear in Rome with the legate. Thus, in 873 new [Pope John VIII](/source/Pope_John_VIII) (872-82) secured the release of Methodius, but ordered him to cease celebrating the new Slavonic Liturgy.[37]

### Final Years of Methodius

[Saint](/source/Saint) Cyril and Methodius by [Stanislav Dospevski](/source/Stanislav_Dospevski), Bulgarian painter

The Papal will prevailed, and Methodius secured his freedom and his archiepiscopal jurisdiction of [Great Moravia](/source/Great_Moravia) and [Pannonia](/source/Pannonia), albeit without permission to celebrate the new Slavonic Liturgy. His authority in Pannonia was restricted after the death of Koceľ, when German nobles administered the principality. However, [Svatopluk](/source/Svatopluk_I) then practically independently ruled Greater Moravia, and he expelled the German clergy. This seemingly secured an unimpeded field of operation for Methodius, and the *Vita* (X) described the next few years (873–9) as being fruitful for his mission. Methodius seemingly disregarded, wholly or partly, the prohibition on celebrating the Slavonic Liturgy. When [Frankish](/source/Franks) clerics again ventured into his territory, revealing a permissive Svatopluk at odds with his punctilious archbishop, this became a cause of complaint against Methodius in Rome, coupled with accusation regarding the *[Filioque](/source/Filioque_clause)*.

In 878 Methodius was summoned to Rome on accusations of heresy and celebrating the Slavonic Liturgy. This time Pope John was convinced by the arguments that Methodius made in his defence and sent him back acquitted of all charges, and with permission to celebrate the Slavonic Liturgy. The Carolingian bishop who succeeded him, [Wiching](/source/Wiching), a [Swabian](/source/Swabia), suppressed the Slavonic Liturgy and compelled the disciples of Methodius into exile. Many found refuge with Knyaz [Boris the Baptizer](/source/Boris_I_of_Bulgaria) in [Bulgaria](/source/First_Bulgarian_Empire), under whom they organized a Slavic-speaking church. Meanwhile, the successors of Pope John instituted a rule to celebrate only in Latin, which endured for centuries.

Methodius vindicated his orthodoxy and promised to obey the rule regarding celebration of the Liturgy. He could the more easily defend his omission of *Filioque* from the [Nicene Creed](/source/Nicene_Creed) as this also pertained in Rome at the time. Though *Filioque* could, by the 6th century, be heard in some [Roman Rite](/source/Roman_Rite) churches in the west, it was not until 1014 that Rome followed suit (see [Nicene Creed](/source/Nicene_Creed)). Critics of Methodius were mollified by Methodius accepting the appointment of Wiching as his coadjutor. When relations between the two factions again became strained, Pope John VIII steadfastly supported Methodius. After his death in December 882, it was the archbishop himself whose position seemed insecure. His need for political support, visiting the Eastern Emperor, inclined Goetz to accept the account in the *Vita* (XIII).

Methodius died on 6 April 885[38] and his body was buried in the main cathedral church of Great Moravia. It still remains an open question which city was the capital of Great Moravia. As a result the location of his body remains uncertain.[39]

Upon the death of Methodius an animosity erupted into conflict. Among the disciples of Cyril and Methodius, [Clement of Ohrid](/source/Clement_of_Ohrid) headed the struggle against the German clergy in Great Moravia along with [Gorazd](/source/Saint_Gorazd). Gorazd, whom Methodius had designated as his successor, was not recognised by [Pope Stephen V](/source/Pope_Stephen_V), who also forbade celebration of the Slavonic Liturgy[40] and appointed as successor to Methodius the infamous Wiching who promptly sent disciples of Cyril and Methodius into exile from Great Moravia.

After spending time in prison, Clement was expelled from Great Moravia, and in 885 or 6 reached the borders of the [First Bulgarian Empire](/source/First_Bulgarian_Empire) together with [Saint Naum](/source/Saint_Naum), [Saint Angelar](/source/Saint_Angelar), and possibly also Gorazd (other sources suggest Gorazd had already died). Angelar soon died after arrival, but Clement and Naum were afterwards sent to the Bulgarian capital of Pliska, where they were commissioned by [Boris I](/source/Boris_I) to instruct the future clergy of the polity in the Slavonic language. Eventually they were commissioned to establish two theological schools: the [Ohrid Literary School](/source/Ohrid_Literary_School) in [Ohrid](/source/Ohrid) and the [Preslav Literary School](/source/Preslav_Literary_School) in [Preslav](/source/Veliki_Preslav). The Preslav Literary School originally had been established in [Pliska](/source/Pliska), but was moved to Preslav in 893.

## Invention of the Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets

The [Baška tablet](/source/Ba%C5%A1ka_tablet) is an early example of the Glagolitic from [Croatia](/source/Croatia)

A cartoon about Saints Cyril and Methodius from Bulgaria in 1938. The caption reads : *Brother Cyril, go tell those who are inside to learn the alphabet so they know freedom ([Bulgarian](/source/Bulgarian_language): свобода) and anarchy ([Bulgarian](/source/Bulgarian_language): слободия) are not the same.*

The Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets are the oldest known Slavic [alphabets](/source/Alphabet), and were created by the two brothers and/or their students, to translate the [Gospels](/source/Gospels) and [liturgical books](/source/Eastern_Orthodox_worship#Liturgical_books)[22] into the [Slavic languages](/source/Slavic_languages).[41]

The early Glagolitic alphabet was used in Great Moravia between 863 (the arrival of Cyril and Methodius) and 885 (the expulsion of their students) for government and religious documents and books, and at the Great Moravian Academy (*Veľkomoravské učilište*) founded by Cyril, where followers of Cyril and Methodius were educated, by Methodius himself among others. The alphabet has been traditionally attributed to Cyril. That seems confirmed explicitly by the papal letter *Industriae tuae* (880) approving the use of Old Church Slavonic, which says that the alphabet was "invented by Constantine the Philosopher". "Invention" need not exclude the brothers having possibly made use of earlier letterforms. Before that time the Slavic languages had no distinct script of their own.

The [early Cyrillic alphabet](/source/Early_Cyrillic_alphabet) was developed by the disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius at the [Preslav Literary School](/source/Preslav_Literary_School) at the end of the 9th century as a simplification of the Glagolitic alphabet which more closely resembled the [Greek](/source/Greek_language) alphabet. The [Cyrillic script](/source/Cyrillic_script) was devised from the [Greek alphabet](/source/Greek_alphabet) and [Glagolitic alphabet](/source/Glagolitic_alphabet).[42] Cyrillic gradually replaced Glagolitic as the alphabet of the Old Church Slavonic language, which became the official language of the [First Bulgarian Empire](/source/First_Bulgarian_Empire) and later spread to the Eastern Slav lands of [Kievan Rus'](/source/Kievan_Rus'). Cyrillic eventually spread throughout most of the Slavic world to become the standard alphabet in the [Eastern Orthodox](/source/Eastern_Orthodox_Church) Slavic countries. In this way the work of Cyril and Methodius and their disciples enabled the spread of Christianity throughout Eastern Europe.

After the adoption of Christianity in 865, religious ceremonies in Bulgaria were conducted in Greek by clergy sent from the Byzantine Empire. Fearing growing Byzantine influence and weakening of the state, Boris viewed the adoption of the Old Slavonic language as a way to preserve the political independence and stability of Bulgaria, so he established two literary schools (academies), in [Pliska](/source/Pliska) and [Ohrid](/source/Ohrid), where theology was to be taught in the Slavonic language. While [Naum of Preslav](/source/Naum_of_Preslav) stayed in Pliska working on the foundation of the [Pliska Literary School](/source/Pliska_Literary_School) which was moved to Preslav in 893, Clement was commissioned by Boris I to organise the teaching of theology to future clergymen in Old Church Slavonic at the [Ohrid Literary School](/source/Ohrid_Literary_School). Over seven years (886-893) Clement taught some 3,500 students in the Slavonic language and the Glagolitic alphabet.

## Commemoration

### Saints Cyril and Methodius' Day

Saints Cyril and Methodius procession

Compared to nowadays, the process leading to [canonization](/source/Canonization) was less involved in the decades following Cyril's death. Cyril was regarded by his disciples as a saint soon after his death. His following spread among the nations he evangelized, and subsequently to the wider Christian Church. With his brother Methodius, he was famous as a man of holiness. From the crowds lining the Roman streets during his funeral procession, there were calls for Cyril to be accorded saintly status. The brothers' first appearance in a papal document is in *Grande Munus* of Leo XIII in 1880. They are known as the "Apostles of the Slavs", and are still highly regarded by both Catholic and Orthodox Christians. Their [feast day](/source/Feast_day) is currently celebrated on 14 February in the Catholic Church (to coincide with the date of St Cyril's death); on 11 May in the Eastern Orthodox Church (though for Eastern Orthodox Churches which use the [Julian Calendar](/source/Julian_Calendar) this is 24 May according to the [Gregorian calendar](/source/Gregorian_calendar)); and on 7 July according to the old sanctoral calendar before the revisions of the [Second Vatican Council](/source/Second_Vatican_Council). The celebration also commemorates the introduction of literacy and the preaching of the gospels in the Slavonic language by the brothers. The brothers were declared "Patrons of Europe" in 1980.[43]

The first recorded secular celebration of Saints Cyril and Methodius' Day as the "Day of the Bulgarian script", as traditionally accepted by [Bulgarian history](/source/Bulgarian_history), was held in the town of [Plovdiv](/source/Plovdiv) on 11 May 1851. At the same time a local Bulgarian school was named "Saints Cyril and Methodius". Both acts had been instigated by the prominent Bulgarian educator [Nayden Gerov](/source/Nayden_Gerov).[44] However, an Armenian traveller referred to a "celebration of the Bulgarian script" when he visited the town of [Shumen](/source/Shumen) on 22 May 1803.[45]

Cyril and Methodius are [remembered](/source/Calendar_of_saints_(Church_of_England)) in the [Church of England](/source/Church_of_England) with a [Lesser Festival](/source/Lesser_Festival_(Anglicanism))[46] and with a lesser feast on the [Episcopal Church calendar](/source/Calendar_of_saints_(Episcopal_Church))[1] on [14 February](/source/February_14).

The day is now celebrated as a [public holiday](/source/Public_holiday) in the following countries:

- In [Bulgaria](/source/Bulgaria) it is celebrated on 24 May and is known as the "[Bulgarian Education and Culture, and Slavonic Script Day](/source/Day_of_Slavonic_Alphabet%2C_Bulgarian_Enlightenment_and_Culture)" (Bulgarian: Ден на българската просвета и култура и на славянската писменост), a [national holiday](/source/Public_holidays_in_Bulgaria) celebrating [Bulgarian culture](/source/Culture_of_Bulgaria) and [literature](/source/Bulgarian_literature) as well as the alphabet. It is also known as "Alphabet, Culture, and Education Day" (Bulgarian: Ден на азбуката, културата и просвещението). Saints Cyril and Methodius are patrons of the National Library of Bulgaria. There is a monument to them in front of the library. Saints Cyril and Methodius are the most celebrated saints in the Bulgarian Orthodox church, and icons of the two brothers can be found in every church.

- In [North Macedonia](/source/North_Macedonia), it is celebrated on 24 May and is known as the "Saints Cyril and Methodius, Slavonic Enlighteners' Day" ([Macedonian](/source/Macedonian_language): Св. Кирил и Методиј, Ден на словенските просветители), a [national holiday](/source/Public_holidays_in_North_Macedonia). The Government of the Republic of Macedonia enacted a statute of the national holiday in October 2006 and the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia passed a corresponding law at the beginning of 2007.[47] Previously it had only been celebrated in the schools. It is also known as the day of the "[Solun](/source/Thessaloniki) Brothers" ([Macedonian](/source/Macedonian_language): Солунските браќа).

- In the [Czech Republic](/source/Czech_Republic) and [Slovakia](/source/Slovakia), the two brothers were originally commemorated on 9 March, but [Pope Pius IX](/source/Pope_Pius_IX) changed this date to 5 July for several reasons.[48] Today, Saints Cyril and Methodius are revered there as national saints and their name day (5 July), "Sts Cyril and Methodius Day" is a [national holiday in Czech Republic](/source/Public_holidays_in_the_Czech_Republic) and [Slovakia](/source/National_holidays_in_Slovakia). In the Czech Republic it is celebrated as "Slavic Missionaries Cyril and Methodius Day" (Czech: Den slovanských věrozvěstů Cyrila a Metoděje); in [Slovakia](/source/Slovakia) it is celebrated as "St. Cyril and Metod Day" (Slovak: Sviatok svätého Cyrila a Metoda).[48]

- In [Russia](/source/Russia), it is celebrated on 24 May and is known as the "Slavonic Literature and Culture Day" (Russian: День славянской письменности и культуры), celebrating Slavonic culture and literature as well as the alphabet. Its celebration is ecclesiastical (11 May in the Church's [Julian calendar](/source/Julian_calendar)). It is not a public holiday in Russia.

The saints' [feast day](/source/Feast_day) is celebrated by the [Eastern Orthodox Church](/source/Eastern_Orthodox_Church) on 11 May and by the [Catholic Church](/source/Roman_Catholic_Church) and the [Anglican Communion](/source/Anglican_Communion) on 14 February as "[Saints Cyril and Methodius Day](/source/Saints_Cyril_and_Methodius_Day)". The [Lutheran Churches](/source/Lutheranism) of Western Christianity commemorate the two saints either on 14 February or 11 May. The [Byzantine Rite Lutheran Churches](/source/Byzantine_Rite_Lutheranism) celebrate Saints Cyril and Methodius Day on 24 May.[49]

### Other commemoration

[The national library of Bulgaria](/source/SS._Cyril_and_Methodius_National_Library) in [Sofia](/source/Sofia), [Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje](/source/Ss._Cyril_and_Methodius_University_of_Skopje) in the [North Macedonia](/source/North_Macedonia), and [St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo](/source/Veliko_Tarnovo_University) in [Bulgaria](/source/Bulgaria) and in [Trnava](/source/Trnava), Slovakia, bear the name of the two saints. Faculty of Theology at [Palacký University](/source/Palack%C3%BD_University%2C_Olomouc) in [Olomouc](/source/Olomouc) ([Czech Republic](/source/Czech_Republic)), bears the name *"Saints Cyril and Methodius Faculty of Theology"*. In the United States, [SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary](/source/SS._Cyril_and_Methodius_Seminary) in [Orchard Lake, Michigan](/source/Orchard_Lake%2C_Michigan), bears their name.

The [Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius](/source/Brotherhood_of_Saints_Cyril_and_Methodius) established in 1846 was short-lived a pro-Ukrainian organization in the [Russian Empire](/source/Russian_Empire) to preserve Ukrainian national identity.

Saints Cyril and Methodius are the main patron saints of the [Archdiocese of Ljubljana](/source/Archdiocese_of_Ljubljana). [Ljubljana Cathedral](/source/Ljubljana_Cathedral) stands at [Cyril and Methodius Square](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cyril_and_Methodius_Square&action=edit&redlink=1) ([Slovene](/source/Slovene_language): *Ciril–Metodov trg*).[50] They are also patron saints of the [Greek-Catholic Eparchy of Košice](/source/Slovak_Catholic_Eparchy_of_Ko%C5%A1ice) (Slovakia)[5] and the [Slovak Greek Catholic Eparchy of Toronto](/source/Eparchy_of_Saints_Cyril_and_Methodius_of_Toronto).

[St. Cyril Peak](/source/St._Cyril_Peak) and [St. Methodius Peak](/source/St._Methodius_Peak) in the [Tangra Mountains](/source/Tangra_Mountains) on [Livingston Island](/source/Livingston_Island), [South Shetland Islands](/source/South_Shetland_Islands), in [Antarctica](/source/Antarctica) are named for the brothers.

Saint Cyril's remains are interred in a shrine-chapel within the [Basilica di San Clemente](/source/Basilica_di_San_Clemente) in [Rome](/source/Rome). The chapel holds a Madonna by [Sassoferrato](/source/Sassoferrato).

The [Basilica of SS. Cyril and Methodius](/source/Basilica_of_Saints_Cyril_and_Methodius_(Danville%2C_Pennsylvania)) in [Danville, Pennsylvania](/source/Danville%2C_Pennsylvania), (the only [Catholic](/source/Roman_Catholic) [basilica](/source/Basilica) dedicated to SS. Cyril and Methodius in the world) is the motherhouse chapel of the Sisters of SS. Cyril and Methodius, a Catholic women's religious community of [pontifical right](/source/Pontifical_right) dedicated to apostolic works of ecumenism, education, evangelization, and elder care.[51]

The [Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius](/source/Order_of_Saints_Cyril_and_Methodius), originally founded in 1909, is part of the national award system of Bulgaria.

In 2021, a [research vessel](/source/Research_vessel) newly acquired by the [Bulgarian Navy](/source/Bulgarian_Navy) was [re-christened](/source/Ship_christening) *Ss. Cyril and Methodius* after the saints, with actress [Maria Bakalova](/source/Maria_Bakalova) as the [sponsor](/source/Ship_sponsor).[52]

## Gallery

		- Basilica of St.Cyril and Methodius in [Moravian](/source/Moravia) [Velehrad](/source/Velehrad), Czech Republic

		- [Cross Procession](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cross_Procession&action=edit&redlink=1) in [Khanty-Mansiysk](/source/Khanty-Mansiysk) on Saints Cyril and Methodius Day in May 2006

		- Inauguration of the monument to Saints Cyril and Methodius in [Saratov](/source/Saratov) on Slavonic Literature and Culture Day

		- [Thessaloniki](/source/Thessaloniki) - monument of the two Saints gift from the [Bulgarian Orthodox Church](/source/Bulgarian_Orthodox_Church)

		- [Bulgaria](/source/Bulgaria) - Statue of the two Saints in front of the [SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library](/source/SS._Cyril_and_Methodius_National_Library) in [Sofia](/source/Sofia)

		- [Bulgaria](/source/Bulgaria) - Statue of the two Saints in front of the [National Palace of Culture](/source/National_Palace_of_Culture) in [Sofia](/source/Sofia)

		- [North Macedonia](/source/North_Macedonia) - The monument in [Ohrid](/source/Ohrid)

		- [North Macedonia](/source/North_Macedonia) - Statue of Cyril and Methodius near the [Stone Bridge](/source/Stone_Bridge_(Skopje)) in [Skopje](/source/Skopje)

		- [Czech Republic](/source/Czech_Republic) - [Statue of Saints Cyril and Methodius](/source/Statues_of_Saints_Cyril_and_Methodius%2C_Charles_Bridge) at the [Charles Bridge](/source/Charles_Bridge) in [Prague](/source/Prague)

		- [Czech Republic](/source/Czech_Republic) - Saints Cyril and Methodius monument in [Mikulčice](/source/Mikul%C4%8Dice)

		- [Czech Republic](/source/Czech_Republic) - Statue of Saint Methodius at the [Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc](/source/Holy_Trinity_Column_in_Olomouc) in [Moravia](/source/Moravia)

		- [Ukraine](/source/Ukraine) - The monument in [Kyiv](/source/Kyiv)

		- [Russia](/source/Russia) - the monument in [Khanty-Mansiysk](/source/Khanty-Mansiysk)

		- [Serbia](/source/Serbia) - the monument to Saints Cyril and Methodius in [Belgrade](/source/Belgrade)

		- Opening of Cyril and Methodius monument in [Donetsk](/source/Donetsk)

		- Statue, Saints Cyril and Methodius, [Třebíč](/source/T%C5%99eb%C3%AD%C4%8D), Czech Republic

		- Cartoon by [Viktor Deni](/source/Viktor_Deni) published in *Prozhektor* (Searchlight) depicting [Nikolai Bukharin](/source/Nikolai_Bukharin) and [Yevgeni Preobrazhensky](/source/Yevgeni_Preobrazhensky) as Cyril and Methodius holding *[The ABC of Communism](/source/The_ABC_of_Communism)*, 1923

## Names in other relevant languages

- [Armenian](/source/Armenian_language): Կիրիլ և Մեթոդիոս (*Kiril ev Metodios*)

- [Belarusian](/source/Belarusian_language): Кірыла і Мяфодзій (*Kiryła i Miafodzij*) or Кірыла і Мятода (*Kiryła i Miatoda*)

- [Bulgarian](/source/Bulgarian_language): Кирил и Методий (*Kiril i Metodiy*)

- [Croatian](/source/Croatian_language): *Ćiril i Metod*

- [Czech](/source/Czech_language): *Cyril a Metoděj*

- [Greek](/source/Greek_language): Κύριλλος καὶ Μεθόδιος (*Kýrillos kaí Methódios*)

- [Kazakh](/source/Kazakh_language): Кирилл және методиус (*Kïrïll jäne metodïws*)

- [Macedonian](/source/Macedonian_language): Кирил и Методиј (*Kiril i Metodij*)

- [New Church Slavonic](/source/New_Church_Slavonic): Кѷрі́ллъ и҆ Меѳо́дїй (*Kỳrill" i Methodij*)

- [Old Church Slavonic](/source/Old_Church_Slavonic): Кѷриллъ и Меѳодїи

- [Polish](/source/Polish_language): *Cyryl i Metody*

- [Romanian](/source/Romanian_language): *Chiril și Metodiu*

- [Russian](/source/Russian_language): Кири́лл и Мефодий (*Kirill i Mefodij*), pre-1918 spelling: Кириллъ и Меѳодій (*Kirill" i Methodij*)

- [Serbian](/source/Serbian_language): Ћирило и Методије / *Ćirilo i Metodije*

- [Slovak](/source/Slovak_language): *Cyril a Metod*

- [Slovene](/source/Slovene_language): *Ciril in Metod*

- [Ukrainian](/source/Ukrainian_language): Кирило і Мефодій (*Kyrylo i Mefodij*)

## See also

[Portals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents/Portals):
- [Biography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Biography)
- [Saints](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Saints)
- [Christianity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Christianity)
- [Byzantine Empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Byzantine_Empire)

- [Cyrillo-Methodian studies](/source/Cyrillo-Methodian_studies)

## References

### Citations

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-teccalendar_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-teccalendar_1-1) ["Cyril and Methodius, Missionaries, 869, 885"](https://www.episcopalchurch.org/lectionary/cyril-and-methodius/). *The Episcopal Church*. Retrieved 21 July 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Notable Lutheran Saints"](https://web.archive.org/web/20190516024927/http://www.resurrectionpeople.org/saints.html). *Resurrectionpeople.org*. Archived from [the original](http://www.resurrectionpeople.org/saints.html) on 16 May 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** In the 21st century this date in the [Julian Calendar](/source/Julian_Calendar) corresponds to 24 May in the [Gregorian Calendar](/source/Gregorian_Calendar)

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-patron_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-patron_4-1) Jones, Terry. ["Methodius"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070219170931/http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintm10.htm). *Patron Saints Index*. Archived from [the original](http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintm10.htm) on 19 February 2007. Retrieved 18 February 2007.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-grkatke-hist_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-grkatke-hist_5-1) [History of the Eparchy of Košice](http://www.grkatke.sk/page1.php?strankaid=epahist) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20151222143015/http://www.grkatke.sk/page1.php?strankaid=epahist) 22 December 2015 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) (Slovak)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Figures of (trans-) national religious memory of the Orthodox southern Slavs before 1945: an outline on the examples of SS. Cyril and Methodius"](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237540225). *ResearchGate*. Retrieved 15 November 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Liturgy of the Hours, Volume III, 14 February.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Egregiae_Virtutis_8-0)** ["Egregiae Virtutis"](https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_31121980_egregiae-virtutis_lt.html). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104182217/https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_31121980_egregiae-virtutis_lt.html) from the original on 4 January 2009. Retrieved 26 April 2009. [Apostolic letter](/source/Ecclesiastical_letter#Letters_of_the_popes_in_modern_times) of [Pope John Paul II](/source/Pope_John_Paul_II), 31 December 1980 (in Latin)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** *Cyril and Methodius*, [Encyclopædia Britannica](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica) 2005

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** *Vita Constantini slavica*, [Cap. 18: Denkschriften der kaiserl. Akademie der Wissenschaften 19, Wien 1870, p. 246](https://books.google.com/books?id=RIdFAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA246)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Chapter 18 of the Slavonic [*Life of Constantine*](http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/fcurta/Cyril.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20121215043926/http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/fcurta/Cyril.html) 15 December 2012 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine), an English translation

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** English Translation of the 18th Chapter of the *Vita Constantini*, [Liturgy of the Hours](/source/Liturgy_of_the_Hours), Proper of Saints, 14 February

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["SS.Cyril and Methodius"](http://www.carpatho-rusyn.org/spirit/cyril.htm). *www.carpatho-rusyn.org*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160317030046/http://www.carpatho-rusyn.org/spirit/cyril.htm) from the original on 17 March 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** - 1. Mortimer Chambers, Barbara Hanawalt, Theodore Rabb, Isser Woloch, Raymond Grew. *The Western Experience with Powerweb*. Eighth Edition. McGraw-Hill Higher Education 2002. University of Michigan. p. 214. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780072565447](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780072565447) ...Two Christian brothers of Slavic descent, Cyril and Methodius, set out in about 862 as missionaries from the Byzantine... - 2. *Balkan Studies*, Volume 22. Hidryma Meletōn Chersonēsou tou Haimou (Thessalonikē, Greece). The Institute, 1981. Original from the University of Michigan. p. 381 ...Being of Slavic descent, both of them spoke the old Slavic language fluently... - 3. Loring M. Danforth. *The Macedonian Conflict: Ethnic Nationalism in a Transnational World*. Princeton University Press, 1995. p. 49 [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780691043562](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780691043562). ...In the ninth century two brothers Cyril and Methodius, Macedonian educators of Slavic origin from Solun, brought literacy and Christianity to the Slavs... - 4. Ihor Ševčenko. *Byzantium and the Slavs: In Letters and Culture'*. Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, 1991. p. 481. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780916458126](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780916458126) ...63-68 (Cyril and Methodius were Slavs)...There remains that argument for Cyril's and Methodius' Slavic origin which has to do with the Slavic translation of the Gospels and... - 5. Roland Herbert Bainton. *Christianity: An American Heritage Book Series*. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2000. p. 156. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780618056873](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780618056873) ...Two missionaries of Slavic origin, Cyril (baptized Constantine) and Methodius, adapted the Greek alphabet and translated both the Bible and the liturgy into the Slavic tongue... - 6. John Shea. *Macedonia and Greece: The Struggle to Define a New Balkan Nation*. McFarland, 1997. p. 56 . [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780786437672](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780786437672) ...Byzantine emperor Michael, on the request of the Moravian prince Ratislav, decided to send Slav priests as educators, he chose the Salonika brothers Cyril and Methodius... - 7. *UNESCO Features: A Fortnightly Press Service*. UNESCO. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 1984. University of Michigan ...They may have been of wholly Slavic descent or of mixed Greco-Slav origin... - 8. *The Pakistan Review*, Volume 19. Ferozsons Limited, 1971. University of California. p. 41 ...century in Salonika, then one of the largest towns in the Byzantine Empire. The brothers were of Slav origin... - 9. *Balkania*, Volume 7. Balkania Publishing Company, 1973. Indiana University. p. 10 ...Cyril and Methodius not only lived among Slavs. ...of Slavonic, which they not only spoke and understood, but in which they also wrote—translated and composed—and for which they invented an alphabet, is proof of their Slav origin... - 10. Bryce Dale Lyon, Herbert Harvey Rowen, Theodore S. Hamerow. *A History of the Western World*, Volume 1. Rand McNally College Pub. Co., 1974. Northwestern University. p. 239 ...brothers of Slavic origin, Cyril and Methodius, who, after being ordained at Constantinople, preached the Gospel to the Slavs... - 11. Roland Herbert Bainton. The history of Christianity. Nelson, 1964. p. 169 ...Two missionaries of Slavic origin, Cyril (baptized Constantine) and Methodius, adapted the Greek alphabet and translated both the Bible and the liturgy into the Slavic tongue... - 12. Carl Waldman, Catherine Mason. *Encyclopedia of European Peoples: Facts on File library of world history*. Infobase Publishing, 2006. p. 752. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781438129181](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781438129181) ...There is disagreement as to whether Cyril and his brother Methodius were Greek or Slavic, but they knew the Slavic dialect spoken in Macedonia... - 13. Frank Andrews. *Ancient Slavs'*. Worzalla Publishing Company, 1976. University of Wisconsin - Madison. p. 163. ...Cyril and Methodius derived from a rich family of Salonica, perhaps of Slavic origin, but Grecized in those times. Methodius (815–885)... - 14. Johann Heinrich Kurtz, John Macpherson. *Church History*. Hodder and Stoughton, 1891. University of California. p. 431 ...Born at Thessalonica, and so probably of Slavic descent, at least acquainted with the language of the Slavs,... - 15. William Leslie King. *Investment and Achievement: A Study in Christian Progress*. Jennings and Graham, 1913. Columbia University. ...This man and his brother Cyril became the Methodius and Cyril apostles of the Slavic people. These two brothers seemed to have been raised up for such a mission. They were probably of Slavic descent...

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** * Banac, Ivo (9 June 2015). *The National Question in Yugoslavia*. New York: Cornell University Press. p. 61. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781501701931](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781501701931). Matters were complicated when Cyril and Methodius, two Greek brothers from Salonika, undertook to apply the Slavic idioms - Hurst, John Fletcher (1892). *Short History of the Christian Church*. New York: Harper and brothers. p. 141. Cyril and Methodius, two Greek monks, were the first to introduce the gospel among the Bulgarians. - *Columbia Encyclopedia*, Sixth Edition. 2001–05, s.v. "Cyril and Methodius, Saints" "Greek missionaries, brothers, called Apostles to the Slavs and fathers of Slavonic literature." - Encyclopædia Britannica, *Major alphabets of the world, Cyrillic and Glagolitic alphabets*, 2008, O.Ed. "The two early Slavic alphabets, the Cyrillic and the Glagolitic, were invented by St. Cyril, or Constantine (c. 827–869), and St. Methodius (c. 825–884). These men were Greeks from Thessalonica who became apostles to the southern Slavs, whom they converted to Christianity. - *Encyclopedia of World Cultures*, David H. Levinson, 1991, p.239, s.v., "Social Science" - Eric M. Meyers, *The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East*, p.151, 1997 - Lunt, *Slavic Review*, June 1964, p. 216; Roman Jakobson, *Crucial problems of Cyrillo-Methodian Studies*; Leonid Ivan Strakhovsky, *A Handbook of Slavic Studies*, p.98 - V.Bogdanovich, *History of the ancient Serbian literature*, Belgrade, 1980, p.119 - Hastings, Adrian (1997). *The construction of nationhood: ethnicity, religion, and nationalism*. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 126. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-521-62544-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-521-62544-0). The activity of the brothers Constantine (later renamed Cyril) and Methodius, aristocratic Greek priests who were sent from Constantinople. - Fletcher, R. A. (1999). *The barbarian conversion: from paganism to Christianity*. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. 327. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-520-21859-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-520-21859-0). - Cizevskij, Dmitrij; [Zenkovsky, Serge A.](/source/Serge_Aleksandr_Zenkovsky); Porter, Richard E. (1971). *Comparative History of Slavic Literatures*. Vanderbilt University Press. p. vi. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-8265-1371-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-8265-1371-9). Two Greek brothers from Salonika, Constantine who later became a monk and took the name Cyril and Methodius. - *The illustrated guide to the Bible*. New York: Oxford University Press. 1998. p. 14. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-19-521462-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-19-521462-5). In Eastern Europe, the first translations of the Bible into the Slavonic languages were made by the Greek missionaries Cyril and Methodius in the 860s - Smalley, William Allen (1991). *Translation as mission: Bible translation in the modern missionary movement*. Macon, Ga.: Mercer. p. 25. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-86554-389-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-86554-389-8). The most important instance where translation and the beginning church did coincide closely was in Slavonic under the brothers Cyril and Methodius, with the Bible completed by A.D. 880. This was a missionary translation but unusual again (from a modern point of view) because not a translation into the dialect spoken where the missionaries were. The brothers were Greeks who had been brought up in Macedonia.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** - 1. Philip Lief Group. *Saintly Support: A Prayer For Every Problem*. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2003. p. 37. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780740733369](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780740733369) ...Cyril was born of Greek nobility connected with the senate of Thessalonica, although his mother may have been of Slavic descent... - 2. *UNESCO Features: A Fortnightly Press Service*. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization., 1984. University of Michigan ...They may have been of wholly Slavic descent or of mixed Greco-Slav origin...

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** Raymond Davis (1995). [*The Lives of the Ninth-century Popes (Liber Pontificalis): The Ancient Biographies of Ten Popes from A.D. 817-891*](https://books.google.com/books?id=q7EuWhDYxM4C&pg=PA254). Liverpool University Press. p. 254. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-85323-479-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-85323-479-1).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** ["Pope Benedict XVI. "Saints Cyril and Methodius", General Audience 17 June 2009, Libreria Editrice Vaticana"](https://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2009/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20090617.html). W2.vatican.va. Retrieved 29 January 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Ivanov_19-0)** Vizantiiskoe missionerstvo, Ivanov S. A., Iazyki slavianskoi kul'tury, Moskva 2003, p. 147

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Brit_20-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Brit_20-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Brit_20-2) Encyclopædia Britannica, Cyril and Methodius, Saints, O.Ed., 2008

1. **[^](#cite_ref-IUN_21-0)** ["From Eastern Roman to Byzantine: transformation of Roman culture (500-800)"](http://www.iun.edu/~hisdcl/h113_2001/byzantium.htm). Indiana University Northwest. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170916164425/http://www.iun.edu/~hisdcl/h113_2001/byzantium.htm) from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Catholic_Encyclopedia_22-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Catholic_Encyclopedia_22-1) Abraham, Ladislas (1908). ["Sts. Cyril and Methodius"](https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04592a.htm). *The Catholic Encyclopedia*. Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 9 August 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Pravmir_23-0)** ["Sts. Cyril and Methodius"](http://www.pravmir.com/article_39.html). Pravmir. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120307085339/http://www.pravmir.com/article_39.html) from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-24)** "Vir apostolicae vitae...sapientissimus vir" MGH Epist., 7/2, 1928, p. 436

1. **[^](#cite_ref-25)** ["Sv. Gorazd a spoločníci"](http://www.frantiskani.sk/kazatel/svati/0727.htm) [St. Gorazd and his colleagues]. *Franciscan Friars of Slovakia* (in Slovak). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150924015313/http://www.frantiskani.sk/kazatel/svati/0727.htm) from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-26)** David Farmer, The Oxford Dictionary of Saints, Fifth Edition Revised, OUP Oxford, 2011, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0191036730](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0191036730), p. 94.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-27)** ["Seven Saints"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180721221816/https://www.kashtite.com/en/traditions-and-celebrations/bulgarian-traditions-and-celebrations/seven-saints). Kashtite.com. 27 July 2016. Archived from [the original](https://www.kashtite.com/en/traditions-and-celebrations/bulgarian-traditions-and-celebrations/seven-saints) on 21 July 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-28)** It was and is customary upon becoming a monk in the Eastern Orthodox tradition to receive a new name.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Jugoslovenski_književni_leksikon_29-0)** Đorđe Radojičić (1971). Živan Milisavac (ed.). *Jugoslovenski književni leksikon* [*Yugoslav Literary Lexicon*] (in Serbo-Croatian). [Novi Sad](/source/Novi_Sad) ([SAP Vojvodina](/source/Socialist_Autonomous_Province_of_Vojvodina), [SR Serbia](/source/Socialist_Republic_of_Serbia)): [Matica srpska](/source/Matica_srpska). pp. 73–75.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBowlus1995165-186_30-0)** [Bowlus 1995](#CITEREFBowlus1995), p. 165-186.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-31)** [Lilie et al. 2013b](#CITEREFLilieLudwigZielkePratsch2013b)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-32)** [Lilie et al. 2013c](#CITEREFLilieLudwigZielkePratsch2013c)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-33)** [Lilie et al. 2013d](#CITEREFLilieLudwigZielkePratsch2013d)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-34)** [Lilie et al. 2013e](#CITEREFLilieLudwigZielkePratsch2013e)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-35)** [Lilie et al. 2013a](#CITEREFLilieLudwigZielkePratsch2013a)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-36)** [Burr 1964](#CITEREFBurr1964); [Mareš 1971](#CITEREFMareš1971); [Zettler 1983](#CITEREFZettler1983)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGoldberg2006319-320_37-0)** [Goldberg 2006](#CITEREFGoldberg2006), p. 319-320.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-38)** Житїе Меөодїя (Life of Methodius), title & chap. XVIII - [available on-line](http://lib.pushkinskijdom.ru/Default.aspx?tabid=2164) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160305205114/http://lib.pushkinskijdom.ru/Default.aspx?tabid=2164) 5 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-39)** Short Life of Cyril & Methodius. Translated by Ján STANISLAV: Životy slovanských apoštolov Cyrila a Metoda v legendách a listoch. Turčiansky Sv. Martin: Matica slovenská, 1950, p. 88. (Slovak)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-40)** Richard P. McBrien, Lives of the Popes, (HarperCollins, 2000), 144.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-BritGlago_41-0)** Encyclopædia Britannica, *Major alphabets of the world, Cyrillic and Glagolitic alphabets*, 2008, O.Ed. "The two early Slavic alphabets, the Cyrillic and the Glagolitic, were invented by St. Cyril, or Constantine (c. 827–869), and St. Methodius (c. 825–884). These men were Greeks from Thessalonica who became apostles to the southern Slavs, whom they converted to Christianity.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-42)** ["In Pictures: Ohrid, Home of Cyrillic"](http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/in-pictures-ohrid-home-of-cyrillic-05-23-2018). Balkan Insight. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-43)** ["Nikolaos Martis: MACEDONIA"](http://www.hri.org/Martis/contents/doc19.html). *www.hri.org*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180502164052/http://www.hri.org/Martis/contents/doc19.html) from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-44)** "История на България", Том 6 Българско Възраждане 1856–1878, Издателство на Българската академия на науките, София, 1987, стр. 106 (in Bulgarian; in English: "History of Bulgaria", Volume 6 Bulgarian Revival 1856–1878, Publishing house of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, 1987, page 106).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-45)** Jubilee speech of the Academician Ivan Yuhnovski, Head of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, held on 23 May 2003, published in [Information Bulletin](http://195.96.224.7/basnews/bulletin/Bul62.pdf) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20071203045117/http://195.96.224.7/basnews/bulletin/Bul62.pdf) 3 December 2007 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 3(62), Sofia, 27 June 2003 (in Bulgarian).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-46)** ["The Calendar"](https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/churchs-year/calendar). *The Church of England*. Retrieved 27 March 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-47)** Announcement about the eleventh session of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia on 24 October 2006 from the [official site](http://www.vlada.mk/sednici/Oktomvri2006/sednica24-10-2006.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20080610142420/http://www.vlada.mk/sednici/Oktomvri2006/sednica24-10-2006.htm) 10 June 2008 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia (in Macedonian).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-CMHoliday_48-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-CMHoliday_48-1) Votruba, Martin. ["Holiday date"](http://www.pitt.edu/~votruba/qsonhist/cmholiday.html). *Slovak Studies Program*. University of Pittsburgh. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110514063632/http://www.pitt.edu/~votruba/qsonhist/cmholiday.html) from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-49)** ["День Св. Кирила та Мефодія, просвітителів слов'янських"](http://ukrlc.org/?p=227) (in Ukrainian). [Ukrainian Lutheran Church](/source/Ukrainian_Lutheran_Church). 24 May 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-50)** ["The Ljubljana Metropolitan Province"](http://en.katoliska-cerkev.si/dioceses/the-ljubljana-metropolitan-province). 5 March 2014. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20140305211856/http://en.katoliska-cerkev.si/dioceses/the-ljubljana-metropolitan-province) from the original on 5 March 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-51)** ["Sisters of Saints Cyril and Methodius"](http://www.sscm.org). Sscm.org. 4 March 2002. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20130623051419/http://sscm.org/) from the original on 23 June 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-52)** ["Bulgaria's First Military Research Vessel Christened Ss. Cyril and Methodius"](https://www.bta.bg/en/news//33695-Bulgaria-s-First-Military-Research-Vessel-Christened-Ss-Cyril-and-Methodius). [Bulgarian Telegraph Agency](/source/Bulgarian_Telegraph_Agency). 27 July 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2022.

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- Subotin-Golubović, Tatjana (1999). ["Reflection of the Cult of Saint Konstantine and Methodios in Medieval Serbian Culture"](https://books.google.com/books?id=SnCgAAAAMAAJ). *Thessaloniki - Magna Moravia: Proceedings of the International Conference*. Thessaloniki: Hellenic Association for Slavic Studies. pp. 37–46. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9789608595934](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9789608595934).

- Vlasto, Alexis P. (1970). [*The Entry of the Slavs into Christendom: An Introduction to the Medieval History of the Slavs*](https://books.google.com/books?id=fpVOAAAAIAAJ). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780521074599](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780521074599).

- [Whittow, Mark](/source/Mark_Whittow) (1996). [*The Making of Orthodox Byzantium, 600–1025*](https://books.google.com/books?id=OZFKEAAAQBAJ). Basingstoke: Macmillan. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781349247653](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781349247653).

- [Zettler, Alfons](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfons_Zettler) [in German] (December 1983). ["Cyrill und Method im Reichenauer Verbrüderungsbuch"](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292253839) [Cyril and Methodius in the Reichenau Confraternity Book]. *[Frühmittelalterliche Studien](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%BChmittelalterliche_Studien)* (in German). **17** (1): 280–298. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1515/9783110242164.280](https://doi.org/10.1515%2F9783110242164.280). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0071-9706](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0071-9706).

## Further reading

- Dvornik, F. (1964). ["The Significance of the Missions of Cyril and Methodius"](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/slavic-review/article/abs/significance-of-the-missions-of-cyril-and-methodius/BA6950F8E7B59143643C69310833AD20). *Slavic Review*. **23** (2): 195–211. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2307/2492930](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F2492930). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [2492930](https://www.jstor.org/stable/2492930). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [163378481](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:163378481).

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Saints Cyril and Methodius](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Saints_Cyril_and_Methodius).

- [*Slavorum Apostoli* by Pope John Paul II](https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_19850602_slavorum-apostoli_en.html)

- [Cyril and Methodius – Encyclical letter (Epistola Enciclica), 31 December 1980](http://www.hri.org/Martis/contents/doc19.html) by Pope [John Paul II](/source/John_Paul_II)

- Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). ["Sts. Cyril and Methodius"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Sts._Cyril_and_Methodius). *[Catholic Encyclopedia](/source/Catholic_Encyclopedia)*. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

- [*"Equal to Apostles SS. Cyril and Methodius Teachers of Slavs"*, by Prof. Nicolai D. Talberg](http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/kyrill_and_methody_e.htm)

- [Pope Leo XIII, "Grande munus: on Saints Cyril and Methodius](http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Leo13/l13cym.htm)

- Bulgarian Official Holidays, National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria: [in English](http://www.parliament.bg/?page=history&lng=en&hid=11) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20080609190723/http://www.parliament.bg/?page=history&lng=en&hid=11) 9 June 2008 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine), [in Bulgarian](http://www.parliament.bg/?page=history&lng=bg&hid=11) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20101128090736/http://www.parliament.bg/?page=history&lng=bg&hid=11) 28 November 2010 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)

- Bank holidays in the Czech Republic, Czech National Bank: [in English](http://www.cnb.cz/www.cnb.cz/en/media_service/schedules/media_svatky.html), [in Czech](http://www.cnb.cz/cs/verejnost/pro_media/harmonogramy/svatky.html)

- [24 May – The Day Of Slavonic Alphabet, Bulgarian Enlightenment and Culture](http://www.balkanfolk.com/news.php?id=23)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cyril and Methodius](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyril_and_Methodius) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyril_and_Methodius?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.