Every year on May 24 all the Slavic countries commemorate Saints Cyril and Methodius who were the creators of the Slavonic alphabet. Brothers Cyril and Methodius were educators, Christian missionaries and the creators of the Slavonic alphabet and the first Slavonic writing system and Old Church Slavonic memoranda.
Cyril and Methodius (secular names: Constantine and Michael) were born in the family of the Byzantine commander of Thessaloniki (now - Salonika). Methodius was appointed to be a governor of one of the Slavic regions of the Balkans, and after the year 856 became a monk. Constantine got an excellent education in Constantinople. Although being fast and persistent in the apprehension of arts and science, he was an extremely modest man. Having Patriarch’s favor for his erudition, Constantine became his librarian and then lectured on philosophy in Constantinople, for what he received the nickname Philosopher.
In 863, Constantine and Methodius were sent to preach to Great Moravia, which recently adopted Christianity. Constantine already had experience of missionary activity and Methodius showed considerable organizational skills. According to researchers, even before the arrival of Constantine and Methodius to Moravia they translated the Psalms. Brothers translated the text of liturgy into Slavonic and began to worship in Slavonic.
Educators’ activity met the resistance of the German clergy. At first the brothers went to Venice, and in 868 –to Rome. Here Pope Adrian II blessed Slavonic books and Constantine and Methodius’ students became priests and deacons. In Rome, Constantine got very sick and died on February 14, 869 (buried in the Basilica of St. Clement).
At the end of 869, Methodius became the Archbishop of Pannonia, practically of Great Moravia, which thus gained church autonomy. The translation of the collection of church canons in Slavonic and the creation of the most ancient memorandum of Slavic law - "Law for Judging the People"- are related to Methodius’ activity as the head of the diocese. Methodius’ initiative encouraged the translation of basic books of the Old Testament in Slavonic (several parts were preserved). Methodius died on April 8, 885. The location of his grave is unknown.
After the death of Methodius, his students found refuge in Bulgaria. There a new Slavic alphabet based on Greek was created; new letters borrowed from Glagolitic were added for the transmission of the phonetic features of Slavic speech. This alphabet, which spread among eastern and southern Slavs, is called "Cyrillic" - in honour of Cyril (Constantine).
Achievements of Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius became the cultural background from which Christianity spread. Commemoration of the founders of Slavic alphabet and literature has a long tradition: the Czechs began to celebrate a holiday in honour of Cyril and Methodius in 1349, the Bulgarians - in 1851. In Ukraine the name of Cyril and Methodius was taken by the first Ukrainian political organization in Kiev - Cyril and Methodius brotherhood (1845-1846), and Cyril and Methodius's holiday is celebrated on a state level since 2004.
S.M. Kryvenko, Associate Professor of the Department of Ukrainian Language, Literature and Culture