SS. Cyril and Methodius Monument

St. Cyril and Methodius are a symbol of Slavic literature and culture for the Bulgarian people. The National Library in Sofia’s center carries their name, and their monument – one of the capital’s most spectacular — stands in front of it. The monument was built in 1975 by artist Vladimir Ginovski and architect Ivan Ivanchev. Every year on May 24 – the national festival devoted to Bulgarian literature and culture – the monument is strewn with flowers from students expressing their gratitude to the master brothers.

Cyril and Methodius are Christian missionaries and the inventors of the alphabet verb. They were canonized as saints for their contributions to the translation of the Bible into Slavic and the propagation of Christianity among the Slavic peoples. They had the titles of equal apostles and Slavic apostles. The Orthodox Church also considers them to be one of the Holy Sevens, with their pupils and followers Clement, Num, Angelarius, Gorazd, and Sava.

The brothers were born in Thessaloniki, Byzantium – Methodius in 815 and Kirill (called Constantine) in 827 – and were graduates of Byzantium’s renowned Magnaura School, where Kirill was awarded the honorary title of philosopher. The two brothers took part in a number of missions, the most well-known of which being the Great Mormon Mission. In 862, at the invitation of the Byzantine Emperor and Grand Crown Prince Rostislav, the brothers traveled to Great Moravia to propagate Christianity in Slavic. They established a spiritual school in Velegrad, where they translated worship materials and preached in Slavic. The Slavic Liturgical Service has been established. In 865, the brothers traveled to Rome, where Constantine obtained not only the Eastern patriarchs’ but also the Pope’s canonical endorsement of the Verb and worship of the Slavic language. Shortly before his death, he adopted Cyril, the “great monastic shima.” He died at Rome on February 14, 869, and was buried in the vault of the Basilica of San Clemente in the Eternal City. After his brother’s death, Methodius went to Great Moravia, where he resumed his endeavor to propagate the Christian religion and slavic literature against several challenges. After his death in 885, Pope Stephen V prohibited slavic language worship. As a consequence, several of the Thessalonica brothers’ pupils, led by Kliment, Num, and Angelarius, escaped to the Bulgarian citadel Belgrade, where they were supported by Prince Boris I. On his directions, two major enlightenment centers were established – Num in Pliska and Kliment in Ohrid. St. Constantine and Helena are credited with creating the Cyrillic alphabet. Ohridski, Kliment

John Paul II, the first Slavonic Pope, named the two Thessalonica brothers to be co-revelers of Europe in 1980.