Saints Cyril and Methodios of Thessaloniki, Teachers of the Slavs

By Panagiotis K. Chrestou,
Professor of the Theological School 

of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

THESSALONIKI IN THE NINTH CENTURY

By the beginning of the 9th century, more than one thousand one hundred years had passed since the establishment of the city of Thessaloniki (315 BC). During this period, the city had undergone days of great glory and terrible suffering, still, it remained glorious and proud.

As it was the capital of Illyria during the Byzantine period, it came great battles to protect Hellenism and Christianity from the barbarians that continuously arrived from the North: the Goths, Huns, Avars and Slavs.

Protector in those battles was the all-glorious martyr Demetrios, would appear over the city walls in a white mantle and continuously empower the defenders when the raiders narrowed the siege. That's why the Thessalonians never missed a chance to express their gratitude towards their saviour Saint.

The Tomb and Relics of Saint Cyril the Apostle to the Slavs

A chapel on the right side of the nave of the Basilica of San Clemente in Rome is dedicated to Saints Cyril and Methodios. In this chapel rests the only surviving relics of Saint Cyril. The original tomb of the Saint is also in the basilica, with offerings there dedicated by all the Slavic nations, as well as other nations of the world.

At the request of the King of Moravia, the Roman Emperor Michael III in 863 sent the two brothers Cyril and Methodios from Thessaloniki to teach and preach Orthodox Christianity.

Saint Rastislav, Prince of Great Moravia (+ 870)

St. Rastislav of Moravia (Feast Day - May 11)

Saint Rastislav (Rostislav; Rastiz) the Prince of Great Moravia, and Equal of the Apostles, became Prince in 846, following the death of his uncle Mojmir I. At that time, missionaries from Greece, the Balkans, and Germany were already preaching in the territory of Great Moravia. Prince Rastislav was among those who received Holy Baptism, and soon afterward he decided to enlighten the entire country with the light of the Christian faith.

Wary of the Frankish missionaries, who were subject to Louis (Ludwig) the German, King of East Francia, Prince Rostislav sought to increase his maneuverability and attempted to curtail the activities of the Frankish missionaries in his realm.

Holy Seven Apostles of Bulgaria - Saints Cyril, Methodios, Clement, Nahum, Sava, Gorazd and Angelrius

On July 27th the Bulgarian Orthodox Church honors Saints Cyril and Methodios with five of their most famous disciples - Clement, Nahum, Sava, Gorazd and Angelarius. Though these Saints each have their own feast day, today they are celebrated together.

After the death of Cyril and Methodios in Moravia, some of their disciples fled persecution and arrived in Bulgaria, where they found refuge and support, while others were sold to Jews as slaves and taken to Venice where they were bought by ambassadors of the Roman Emperor Basil the Macedonian and returned to Constantinople. Clement and his companions were forced to march to the border, being beaten all along the way by German soldiers. All this was done secretly without the knowledge of King Wiching, who had wished, in his stubborn and obstinate heretical belief, to keep them in prison and to continue tormenting them until they recanted their faith.

Eulogy for Cyril and Methodios (Clement of Ochrid)

Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Apostles of the Slavonians (Sebastian Dabovich)

By Sebastian Dabovich

SAINTS CYRIL AND METHODIUS, 

THE APOSTLES OF THE SLAVONIANS

MAY 11

It is with gratitude and reverence that we mention the names of St. Cyril and his brother Methodius, the first teachers of the Slavonic people, who gave us the Word of God in the Slavonian language. “God, in His mercy, gives to every race and time its teachers, and to us He gave Constantine (and his brother Methodius), who enlightened our people.” This is the way in which an old Slavonic history commences to relate the life of the philosopher Constantine (the name Cyril was given him not long before his death, in taking the final vows of an ascetic), who was the inventor of the Slavonian alphabet, and the preacher of the Word of God in the Slavonic countries. Constantine (or Cyril) lived in the ninth century; he was the youngest son of a rich and noted nobleman of the Greek city of Salonica. His father’s name was Leo, and his mother’s Mary. The family was a large one; and it was brought up in all gravity, according to the faith. The Greek emperor installed Methodius, the elder brother, as governor of the Slavonic tribes, which, at that time, lived in the neighborhood of Salonica. But, after a few years, Methodius desired to leave the world. He left the Slavonic principality, after which he settled in Mount Olympus, where he was tonsured a monk, and devoted his days in prayer and the study of the Holy Scriptures.

Saints Cyril and Methodios Resource Page

Sts. Cyril and Methodios (Feast Day - May 11)

 

Eulogy for Cyril and Methodios (Clement of Ochrid) 

 

Saints Cyril and Methodios, Enlighteners of the Slavs 

 

May: Day 11: Teaching 1: Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodios

 

May: Day 11: Teaching 2: Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodios 

 

Homily One on the Commemoration of the Enlighteners of the Slavs and Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodios (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

Homily Two on the Commemoration of the Enlighteners of the Slavs and Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodios (St. John of Kronstadt) 

 

Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Apostles of the Slavonians (St. Sebastian Dabovich)

 

Homily One on Saints Cyril and Methodios, Equal to the Apostles (St. John Maximovitch) 

 

Saints Cyril and Methodios of Thessaloniki, Teachers of the Slavs

 

The Tomb and Relics of Saint Cyril the Apostle to the Slavs 

 

The Disputation Between Saint Cyril the Philosopher and the Muslims 

 

Who Sent Cyril And Methodius Into Central Europe? 

 

The Veneration of Saints Cyril and Methodios in Greece 

  

Thessaloniki Declares 2013 the Year of Saints Cyril and Methodius 

 

Unveiling of the Monument to Sts. Cyril and Methodios in Thessaloniki 

 

Patriarchs of Constantinople and Russia Celebrate Slavic Letters Day 

 

Bulgaria Honors Glagolitic Alphabet on Enlighteners' Day 

 

Slovakia Removes Saints' Halos On New Euro Coin 

 

A Prague Church That Defied Nazi Rule 

 

Movie: "Cyril and Methodius: The Apostles of the Slavs" (2013) 

 

"Cyril and Methodius: The Apostles of the Slavs" (2013) - Full Movie with English Subtitles 

 

Holy Seven Apostles of Bulgaria - Saints Cyril, Methodios, Clement, Nahum, Sava, Gorazd and Angelrius 

 

Saint Rastislav, Prince of Great Moravia (+ 870)

A Prague Church That Defied Nazi Rule

An extraordinary act of defiance against the Nazi regime took place at Prague’s Cathedral Church of Sts Cyril and Methodius (Credit: Radim Beznoska/Alamy)

The killing of Reinhard Heydrich, a key architect of the Final Solution, was one of the greatest acts of wartime resistance in occupied Europe.

By Lisette Allen

1 September 2017

BBC.com

Prague – the city of 1,000 spires – has no shortage of incredible churches. But only one possesses a vault pockmarked with bullets that draws more visitors than its Baroque edifice above.

The Veneration of Saints Cyril and Methodios in Greece

By John Sanidopoulos

Both Saints Cyril and Methodios were born in Thessaloniki, Greece in the early 9th century. Their missionary activity in the Slavic lands, which was done on behalf of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and their death took place later that same century, with Cyril reposing in Rome in 869 and Methodios in Great Moravia in 885. Their disciples immediately recognized them as Saints, and soon after their repose so did all those lands in which they reposed and had successful missions, especially in Bulgaria, Moravia and Rome. However, despite the fact that much was written about them in Greek over the centuries, they were not recognized as Saints for many centuries in Greece and by the Patriarchate of Constantinople. This is probably due to the fact that, according to the custom of the Orthodox Church, Saints are usually initially recognized at the local level, where they flourished and where their holiness especially shined. And as the veneration of these Saints grows locally, it becomes officially recognized and their veneration spreads outside of their local area.

Saints Cyril and Methodios, Enlighteners of the Slavs

Sts. Cyril and Methodios (Feast Day - May 11)

Saints Cyril and Methodios, Equals of the Apostles and Enlighteners of the Slavs, came from an illustrious and pious family living in the Greek city of Thessalonica. St Methodios was the oldest of seven brothers, St Constantine [Cyril was his monastic name] was the youngest. At first St Methodios was in the military and was governor in one of the Slavic principalities dependent on the Byzantine Empire, probably Bulgaria, which made it possible for him to learn the Slavic language. After living there for about ten years, St Methodios later received monastic tonsure at one of the monasteries on Mount Olympus (Asia Minor).

St Constantine distinguished himself by his great aptitude, and he studied with the emperor Michael under the finest teachers in Constantinople, including St Photios, the future Patriarch of Constantinople (February 6).