St. Cyril and Methodius

Cyril and Methodius were brothers born in the 9th century in Thessalonica, in the Byzantine Empire (modern-day Greece). Methodius was the older of the two, and had served as a governor in a Slavic region before becoming a monk. Cyril, the younger brother, was a scholar and philosopher who had been associated with the court in Constantinople and may have been a deacon. Their family background and education in the Byzantine intellectual tradition would shape their later missionary work among the Slavic peoples. In 862, Prince Rastislav of Great Moravia requested that the Byzantine Emperor Michael III send missionaries to teach Christianity in the Slavic language. The emperor chose Cyril and Methodius, who brought with them a commitment to using the vernacular in worship rather than forcing the Slavs to learn Greek, Hebrew, or Latin. To support this work, Cyril developed the Glagolitic script, the first alphabet designed specifically for a Slavic language, which he used to translate the Gospels, the Psalter, and other liturgical texts into Old Church Slavonic. This made the Scriptures accessible to a people who had previously only encountered Christianity through foreign tongues. Their mission soon met resistance from Frankish and Latin clergy, who opposed the use of a non-Latin liturgy and questioned whether a 'barbarian' language was fit for the sacred rites. Cyril and Methodius appealed to Pope Adrian II, who approved the use of Old Church Slavonic in the liturgy. Cyril died in Rome in 869, and his relics are venerated in the Basilica of San Clemente. Methodius returned to Moravia and continued the work, eventually being ordained a bishop and extending missionary activity into Pannonia and Bohemia, though he too faced imprisonment and opposition from rival clergy. Methodius died in 885 in Moravia, and his disciples were eventually driven out by Frankish missionaries. The brothers' legacy, however, endured. The Glagolitic script influenced the development of the Cyrillic alphabet, which would become the script of many Slavic nations and is named in honor of Cyril. The work they pioneered would be carried on by disciples such as Saint Clement of Ohrid and Saint Naum, who brought Christianity and literacy to Bulgaria and beyond. The two brothers are honored as co-patrons of Europe and are remembered as foundational figures in the Christianization and cultural formation of the Slavic world.

Their feast day, February 14, is celebrated jointly by Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and other Christians, and is a national holiday in several Slavic countries.