On May 24, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius.

The name of these saints is known to everyone from school, and it is to them that all of us, native speakers of the Russian language, owe our language, culture, and writing.

Incredibly, all European science and culture was born within the walls of the monastery: it was at the monasteries that the first schools were opened, children were taught to read and write, and vast libraries were collected. It was for the enlightenment of peoples, for the translation of the Gospel, that many writing systems were created. So it happened with the Slavic language.

The holy brothers Cyril and Methodius came from a noble and pious family that lived in the Greek city of Thessalonica. Methodius was a warrior and ruled the Bulgarian principality of the Byzantine Empire. This gave him the opportunity to learn the Slavic language.

Soon, however, he decided to leave the secular way of life and became a monk in a monastery on Mount Olympus. Constantine from childhood expressed amazing abilities and received an excellent education together with the young emperor Michael III at the royal court

Then he took monastic vows in one of the monasteries on Mount Olympus in Asia Minor.

His brother Konstantin, who took the name Cyril in monasticism, from an early age was distinguished by great abilities and perfectly comprehended all the sciences of his time and many languages.

Soon the emperor sent both brothers to the Khazars for the gospel sermon. According to legend, on the way they stopped in Korsun, where Konstantin found the Gospel and the Psalter, written in "Russian letters", and a man who spoke Russian, and began to learn to read and speak this language.

When the brothers returned to Constantinople, the emperor again sent them on an educational mission - this time to Moravia. The Moravian prince Rostislav was oppressed by the German bishops, and he asked the emperor to send teachers who could preach in their native language for the Slavs.

The first of the Slavic peoples who converted to Christianity were the Bulgarians. In Constantinople, the sister of the Bulgarian prince Bogoris (Boris) was held as a hostage. She was baptized with the name Theodora and was brought up in the spirit of holy faith. Around the year 860, she returned to Bulgaria and began to persuade her brother to accept Christianity. Boris was baptized, taking the name Michael. Saints Cyril and Methodius were in this country and by their preaching they greatly contributed to the establishment of Christianity in it. From Bulgaria, the Christian faith spread to neighboring Serbia.

To fulfill the new mission, Constantine and Methodius compiled the Slavonic alphabet and translated the main liturgical books (Gospel, Apostle, Psalter) into Slavonic. This happened in 863.

In Moravia, the brothers were received with great honor and began to teach Divine Liturgy in the Slavic language. This aroused the anger of the German bishops, who celebrated divine services in Latin in the Moravian churches, and they filed a complaint with Rome.

Taking with them the relics of St. Clement (the Pope), discovered by them back in Korsun, Constantine and Methodius set off for Rome.
Upon learning that the brothers were carrying holy relics, Pope Adrian met them with honor and approved worship in the Slavic language. He ordered the books translated by the brothers to be placed in Roman churches and to celebrate the liturgy in the Slavic language.

Saint Methodius fulfilled his brother's will: having returned to Moravia already in the rank of archbishop, he worked here for 15 years. From Moravia Christianity penetrated into Bohemia during the life of Saint Methodius. The Bohemian prince Borivoj received holy baptism from him. His example was followed by his wife Lyudmila (who later became a martyr) and many others. In the middle of the 10th century, the Polish prince Mieczyslaw married the Bohemian princess Dąbrowka, after which he and his subjects adopted the Christian faith.

Subsequently, these Slavic peoples, through the efforts of Latin preachers and German emperors, were cut off from the Greek Church under the rule of the Pope, with the exception of the Serbs and Bulgarians. But among all the Slavs, despite the past centuries, the memory of the great Equal-to-the-Apostles Enlighteners and the Orthodox faith that they tried to plant among them is still alive. The sacred memory of Saints Cyril and Methodius serves as a connecting link for all Slavic peoples.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

At the end of 862, the prince ruling Great Moravia (the state of the Western Slavs) Rostislav turns to Michael, the Byzantine emperor, with a request to send preachers to him who could spread the Christian faith in the Slavic language (at that time, sermons were read only in Latin, which was incomprehensible and unfamiliar to the common people).

So Emperor Michael sent two Greeks to Great Moravia - the scientist Konstantin the Philosopher, who later received the name Cyril when he was ordained a monk, and his elder brother Methodius.

This choice of Michael was not at all accidental, because both brothers were born in Thessalonica (Thessaloniki - Greek) in the family of a famous military leader and received a good education. Cyril had the opportunity to study in Constantinople at the court of Michael III. He was fluent in Greek, but in addition, he knew Arabic, Hebrew, Latin and, most importantly, Slavic, and also taught philosophy, for which he received his nickname. Methodius was in military service, after which he was the manager of one of the regions that were partly inhabited by Slavs.

The history of the creation of the alphabet of Cyril and Methodius

In 860, both brothers make a visit to the Khazars for diplomatic and missionary purposes.

However, in order to preach the Christian faith in the Slavic language, it was first necessary to translate the Holy Scripture into the language of the Slavs. At the same time, the alphabet that would be able to convey Slavic speech did not exist at that time.

It is for this reason that Konstantin is taken for the creation of such an alphabet. He was assisted in his work by his brother, who also knew the Slavic language well, since many Slavs lived in Thessalonica. In 863, the Slavic alphabet was completely created (at that time it existed in two versions: Cyrillic and Glagolitic).

With the help of Methodius, translations of various liturgical books into Slavonic were made, and the Slavs received a direct opportunity to write and read in their own language. In addition to the fact that the Slavs acquired their own language, they form the first literary language, many words of which are alive and sow today in the Ukrainian, Bulgarian and Russian languages.

After the death of both brothers, their activities were continued by their students, who were expelled from Great Moravia in 886.

The creation of the Slavic alphabet is still of great importance! Indeed, thanks to her, the Slavic people managed to gain their independence and education.

On May 24, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius.

The name of these saints is known to everyone from school, and it is to them that all of us, native speakers of the Russian language, owe our language, culture, and writing.

Incredibly, all European science and culture was born within the walls of the monastery: it was at the monasteries that the first schools were opened, children were taught to read and write, and vast libraries were collected. It was for the enlightenment of peoples, for the translation of the Gospel, that many writing systems were created. So it happened with the Slavic language.

The holy brothers Cyril and Methodius came from a noble and pious family that lived in the Greek city of Thessalonica. Methodius was a warrior and ruled the Bulgarian principality of the Byzantine Empire. This gave him the opportunity to learn the Slavic language.

Soon, however, he decided to leave the secular way of life and became a monk in a monastery on Mount Olympus. Constantine from childhood expressed amazing abilities and received an excellent education together with the young emperor Michael III at the royal court

Then he took monastic vows in one of the monasteries on Mount Olympus in Asia Minor.

His brother Konstantin, who took the name Cyril in monasticism, from an early age was distinguished by great abilities and perfectly comprehended all the sciences of his time and many languages.

Soon the emperor sent both brothers to the Khazars for the gospel sermon. According to legend, on the way they stopped in Korsun, where Konstantin found the Gospel and the Psalter, written in "Russian letters", and a man who spoke Russian, and began to learn to read and speak this language.

When the brothers returned to Constantinople, the emperor again sent them on an educational mission - this time to Moravia. The Moravian prince Rostislav was oppressed by the German bishops, and he asked the emperor to send teachers who could preach in their native language for the Slavs.

The first of the Slavic peoples who converted to Christianity were the Bulgarians. In Constantinople, the sister of the Bulgarian prince Bogoris (Boris) was held as a hostage. She was baptized with the name Theodora and was brought up in the spirit of holy faith. Around the year 860, she returned to Bulgaria and began to persuade her brother to accept Christianity. Boris was baptized, taking the name Michael. Saints Cyril and Methodius were in this country and by their preaching they greatly contributed to the establishment of Christianity in it. From Bulgaria, the Christian faith spread to neighboring Serbia.

To fulfill the new mission, Constantine and Methodius compiled the Slavonic alphabet and translated the main liturgical books (Gospel, Apostle, Psalter) into Slavonic. This happened in 863.

In Moravia, the brothers were received with great honor and began to teach Divine Liturgy in the Slavic language. This aroused the anger of the German bishops, who celebrated divine services in Latin in the Moravian churches, and they filed a complaint with Rome.

Taking with them the relics of St. Clement (the Pope), discovered by them back in Korsun, Constantine and Methodius set off for Rome.
Upon learning that the brothers were carrying holy relics, Pope Adrian met them with honor and approved worship in the Slavic language. He ordered the books translated by the brothers to be placed in Roman churches and to celebrate the liturgy in the Slavic language.

Saint Methodius fulfilled his brother's will: having returned to Moravia already in the rank of archbishop, he worked here for 15 years. From Moravia Christianity penetrated into Bohemia during the life of Saint Methodius. The Bohemian prince Borivoj received holy baptism from him. His example was followed by his wife Lyudmila (who later became a martyr) and many others. In the middle of the 10th century, the Polish prince Mieczyslaw married the Bohemian princess Dąbrowka, after which he and his subjects adopted the Christian faith.

Subsequently, these Slavic peoples, through the efforts of Latin preachers and German emperors, were cut off from the Greek Church under the rule of the Pope, with the exception of the Serbs and Bulgarians. But among all the Slavs, despite the past centuries, the memory of the great Equal-to-the-Apostles Enlighteners and the Orthodox faith that they tried to plant among them is still alive. The sacred memory of Saints Cyril and Methodius serves as a connecting link for all Slavic peoples.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

This is the only state and church holiday in our country. On this day, the church honors the memory of Cyril and Methodius, who invented the Cyrillic alphabet.

The church tradition of honoring the memory of Saints Cyril and Methodius originated in the 10th century in Bulgaria as a token of gratitude for the invention of the Slavic alphabet, which gave many nations the opportunity to read the Gospel in their native language.

In 1863, when the alphabet turned a thousand years old, the holiday of Slavic writing and culture was celebrated for the first time on a grand scale in Russia. Under the Soviet regime, the holiday was no longer celebrated, and the tradition was revived in 1991.

The creators of the Slavic alphabet Cyril (before becoming a monk - Constantine) and Methodius (Michael) grew up in the Byzantine city of Thessalonica (now Thessaloniki, Greece) in a wealthy family with seven children in total. Ancient Thessalonica was part of the Slavic (Bulgarian) territory and was a multilingual city in which different linguistic dialects coexisted, including Byzantine, Turkish and Slavic. The elder brother, Methodius, became a monk. The youngest, Cyril, excelled in the sciences. He perfectly mastered the Greek and Arabic languages, studied in Constantinople, was educated by the greatest scientists of his time - Leo the Grammarian and Photius (the future patriarch). After completing his studies, Konstantin took the rank of priest and was appointed curator of the patriarchal library at the church of St. Sophia and taught philosophy at the higher school of Constantinople. The wisdom and strength of Cyril's faith were so great that he managed to defeat the heretic Aninius in the debate. Soon, Constantine had the first students - Clement, Naum and Angelarius, with whom he came to the monastery in 856, where his brother Methodius was the abbot.

In 857, the Byzantine emperor sent brothers to the Khazar Khaganate to preach the gospel. On the way, they stopped in the city of Korsun, where they miraculously found the relics of the Holy Martyr Clement, Pope of Rome. After that, the saints went to the Khazars, where they convinced the Khazar prince and his entourage to accept Christianity and even took 200 Greek captives from there.

In the early 860s, the ruler of Moravia, Prince Rostislav, who was oppressed by German bishops, turned to the Byzantine emperor Michael III with a request to send learned men, missionaries who knew the Slavic language. All divine services, sacred books and theology there were Latin, and the Slavs did not understand this language. “Our people profess the Christian faith, but we do not have teachers who could explain the faith to us in our native language. Send us such teachers,” he asked. Michael III answered the request with consent. He entrusted the translation of liturgical books into a language understandable to the inhabitants of Moravia to Cyril.

However, in order to record the translation, it was necessary to create a written Slavic language and a Slavic alphabet. Understanding the magnitude of the task, Cyril turned to his older brother for help. They came to the conclusion that neither the Latin nor the Greek alphabets corresponded to the sound palette of the Slavic language. In this regard, the brothers decided to remake the Greek alphabet and adapt it to the sound system of the Slavic language. The brothers did a great job of isolating and transforming sounds and inscribing the letters of the new script. Based on the developments, two alphabets were compiled - (named after Cyril) and Glagolitic. According to historians, the Cyrillic alphabet was created later than the Glagolitic and based on it. With the help of the Glagolitic alphabet, the Gospel, the Psalter, the Apostle and other books were translated from Greek. According to the official version, this happened in 863. Thus, we are now celebrating 1155 years since the creation of the Slavic alphabet.

In 864, the brothers presented their work in Moravia, where they were received with great honors. Soon, many students were assigned to teach them, and after a while the entire church order was translated into Slavic. This helped to teach the Slavs all church services and prayers, in addition, the lives of the saints and other church books were translated into Slavonic.

The acquisition of its own alphabet led to the fact that Slavic culture made a serious breakthrough in its development: it acquired a tool for recording its own history, for consolidating its own identity back in those days when most modern European languages ​​did not yet exist.

In connection with the constant intrigues of the German clergy, Cyril and Methodius twice had to justify themselves before the Roman high priest. In 869, unable to withstand the stress, Cyril died at the age of 42.

When Cyril was in Rome, he had a vision in which the Lord told him about the approach of death. He accepted the schema (the highest level of Orthodox monasticism).

His work was continued by his elder brother Methodius, who shortly thereafter was ordained to the episcopal rank in Rome. He died in 885, having survived several years of exile, abuse and imprisonment.

Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius were canonized as saints in antiquity. In the Russian Orthodox Church, the memory of the Enlighteners of the Slavs has been honored since the 11th century. The oldest services to the saints that have come down to our time date back to the 13th century. The solemn celebration of the memory of the saints was established in the Russian Church in 1863.

For the first time, the Day of Slavic Literature was celebrated in Bulgaria in 1857, and then in other countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Belarus. In Russia, at the state level, the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture was first solemnly celebrated in 1863 (the 1000th anniversary of the creation of the Slavic alphabet was celebrated). In the same year, the Russian Holy Synod decided to celebrate the Day of Remembrance of Saints Cyril and Methodius on May 11 (24 according to the new style). During the years of Soviet power, the holiday was forgotten and restored only in 1986.

On January 30, 1991, May 24 was declared the Holiday of Slavic Literature and Culture, thereby giving it a state status.

Cyril and Methodius became famous throughout the world as champions of the Christian faith and authors of the Slavic alphabet. The biography of the couple is extensive, even a separate biography is dedicated to Cyril, created immediately after the death of a man. However, today you can get acquainted with a brief history of the fate of these preachers and the founders of the alphabet in various manuals for children. The brothers have their own icon, where they are depicted together. They turn to her with prayers for good studies, luck for students, and an increase in intelligence.

Childhood and youth

Cyril and Methodius were born in the Greek city of Thessalonica (present-day Thessaloniki) in the family of a military leader named Leo, whom the authors of the biography of a couple of saints characterize as "of a good family and rich." Future monks grew up in the company of five more brothers.

Before the tonsure, the men bore the names Michael and Konstantin, and the first was older - he was born in 815, and Konstantin in 827. Controversy has not yet subsided over the ethnicity of the family in the circles of historians. Some attribute it to the Slavs, because these people were fluent in the Slavic language. Others attribute Bulgarian and, of course, Greek roots.

The boys received an excellent education, and when they matured, their paths diverged. Methodius applied for military service under the patronage of a faithful family friend and even rose to the rank of governor of a Byzantine province. In the "Slavic reign" he established himself as a wise and fair ruler.

Cyril from early childhood was fond of reading books, struck the environment with an excellent memory and abilities for science, was known as a polyglot - in addition to Greek and Slavic, Hebrew and Aramaic were listed in the language arsenal. At the age of 20, a young man, a graduate of the University of Magnavra, was already teaching the basics of philosophy at the court school at Tsargrad.

Christian ministry

Cyril flatly refused a secular career, although such an opportunity was provided. Marrying the goddaughter of an official of the royal office in Byzantium opened up dizzying prospects - the leadership of the region in Macedonia, and then the position of commander in chief of the army. However, the young theologian (Konstantin was only 15 years old) preferred to step onto the church path.

When he was already teaching at the university, the man even managed to win in theological disputes over the leader of the iconoclasts, the former patriarch John Grammatik, also known as Ammius. However, this story is considered just a beautiful legend.

The main task for the government of Byzantium at that time was considered to be the strengthening and promotion of Orthodoxy. Together with the diplomats, who traveled around the cities and villages, where they negotiated with religious enemies, missionaries traveled. Konstantin became them at the age of 24, setting off with the first important task from the state - to instruct Muslims on the true path.

At the end of the 50s of the 9th century, the brothers, tired of worldly bustle, retired to the monastery, where the 37-year-old Methodius was tonsured. However, Cyril was not allowed to rest for a long time: already in 860, the man was called to the throne of the emperor and instructed to join the ranks of the Khazar mission.

The fact is that the Khazar Khagan announced an inter-religious dispute, where Christians were asked to prove the truth of their faith to Jews and Muslims. The Khazars were already ready to go over to the side of Orthodoxy, but they set a condition - only if the Byzantine polemicists won in disputes.

Cyril took his brother with him and brilliantly completed the task assigned to his shoulders, but still the mission was not completely successful. The Khazar state did not become Christian, although the kagan allowed people to be baptized. On this trip, a serious historical event happened for believers. On the way, the Byzantines looked into the Crimea, where, in the vicinity of Chersonesus, Cyril found the relics of Clement, the fourth holy pope of Rome, which were then transferred to Rome.

The brothers are involved in another important mission. Once, the ruler of the Moravian lands (Slavic state) Rostislav asked for help from Constantinople - teachers-theologians were required to tell the people about the true faith in an accessible language. Thus, the prince was going to get away from the influence of the German bishops. This trip became a landmark - the Slavic alphabet appeared.

In Moravia, the brothers worked tirelessly: they translated Greek books, taught the Slavs the basics of reading and writing, and at the same time taught them how to conduct divine services. The trip took three years. The results of the labors played a big role in the preparation for the baptism of Bulgaria.

In 867, the brothers had to go to Rome to answer for "blasphemy". The Western Church called Cyril and Methodius heretics, accusing them of reading sermons, including in Slavonic, while talking about the Almighty can only be done in Greek, Latin and Hebrew.

On the way to the Italian capital, they stopped in the Principality of Blaten, where they taught the people book business. Those who arrived in Rome with the relics of Clement were so delighted that the new Pope Adrian II allowed worship services to be held in Slavic and even allowed the translated books to be laid out in churches. During this meeting, Methodius received the episcopal rank.

Unlike his brother, Cyril took the veil as a monk only on the verge of death - it was necessary. After the death of the preacher, Methodius, overgrown with disciples, returned to Moravia, where he had to fight the German clergy. The deceased Rostislav was replaced by his nephew Svyatopolk, who supported the policy of the Germans, who did not allow the Byzantine priest to work in peace. Any attempts to spread the Slavic language as a church language were suppressed.

Methodius was even imprisoned at the monastery for three years. Pope John VIII helped to get free, who imposed a ban on the liturgy as long as Methodius was in prison. However, in order not to escalate the situation, John also banned worship in the Slavic language. Only sermons were not punishable by law.

But a native of Thessaloniki, at his own peril and risk, continued to secretly conduct services in Slavic. At the same time, the archbishop baptized the Czech prince, for which he was later brought to trial in Rome. However, luck favored Methodius - he not only escaped punishment, but also received a papal bull and the opportunity to again conduct worship in the Slavic language. Shortly before his death, he managed to translate the Old Testament.

Creation of the alphabet

The brothers from Thessaloniki went down in history as the creators of the Slavic alphabet. The time of the event is 862 or 863. The Life of Cyril and Methodius claims that the idea was born as early as 856, when the brothers, together with their students Angelarius, Naum and Clement, settled on Mount Olympus Minor in the Polychron Monastery. Here Methodius served as rector.

The authorship of the alphabet is attributed to Cyril, but which one remains a mystery. Scientists tend to Glagolitic, this is indicated by 38 characters that it contains. As for the Cyrillic alphabet, it was brought to life by Clement of Ohrid. However, even if this is so, the student still used the achievements of Cyril - it was he who singled out the sounds of the language, which is the most important thing when creating writing.

The basis for the alphabet was the Greek cryptography, the letters are very similar, so the Glagolitic alphabet was confused with the Eastern alphabets. But for the designations of specific Slavic sounds, they took Hebrew letters, for example, “sh”.

Death

Constantine-Cyril, on a trip to Rome, was stricken by a serious illness, and on February 14, 869, he died - this day in Catholicism is recognized as the day of remembrance of the saints. The body was interred in the Roman temple of St. Clement. Cyril did not want his brother to return to the monastery in Moravia, and before his death he supposedly said:

“Here, brother, we were like two oxen in a harness, we plowed one furrow, and I fall into the forest, having finished my day. And although you love the mountain very much, you cannot leave your teaching for the sake of the mountain, for how else can you better achieve salvation?

Methodius outlived his wise relative by 16 years. Anticipating death, he ordered to carry himself to the church for a sermon. The priest died on Palm Sunday, April 4, 885. Methodius was buried in three languages ​​- Greek, Latin and, of course, Slavonic.

At the post of Methodius, the disciple Gorazd replaced him, and then all the undertakings of the holy brothers began to collapse. In Moravia, liturgical translations were gradually banned again, followers and students were hunted down - they were persecuted, sold into slavery and even killed. Some of the adherents fled to neighboring countries. Nevertheless, Slavic culture survived, the center of book learning moved to Bulgaria, and from there to Russia.

The holy chief-apostle teachers are revered in the West and East. In Russia, in memory of the feat of the brothers, a holiday was established - May 24 is celebrated as the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture.

Memory

Settlements

• 1869 - the foundation of the village of Mefodievka near Novorossiysk

monuments

• Monument to Cyril and Methodius at the Stone Bridge in Skopje, Macedonia.
• Monument to Cyril and Methodius in Belgrade, Serbia.
• Monument to Cyril and Methodius in Khanty-Mansiysk.
• Monument in honor of Cyril and Methodius in Thessaloniki, Greece. The statue in the form of a gift was given to Greece by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
• Statue in honor of Cyril and Methodius in front of the building of the National Library of Saints Cyril and Methodius in the city of Sofia, Bulgaria.
• Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and Saints Cyril and Methodius in Velehrad, Czech Republic.
• Monument in honor of Cyril and Methodius, installed in front of the building of the National Palace of Culture in the city of Sofia, Bulgaria.
• Monument to Cyril and Methodius in Prague, Czech Republic.
• Monument to Cyril and Methodius in Ohrid, Macedonia.
• Cyril and Methodius are depicted on the monument "1000th Anniversary of Russia" in Veliky Novgorod.

Books

• 1835 - poem "Cyrillo-Mephodias", Jan Golla
• 1865 - "Cyril and Methodius Collection" (edited by Mikhail Pogodin)
• 1984 - "Khazar Dictionary", Milorad Pavich
• 1979 - Thessalonica Brothers, Slav Karaslavov

Movies

• 1983 - "Konstantin the Philosopher"
• 1989 - Thessalonica Brothers
• 2013 - "Cyril and Methodius - Apostles of the Slavs"