Cyril and Metod were Greek Christian missionaries who influenced the cultural development of the Slavs and are credited with bringing Christianity to Slovakia.
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Cyril, who is also known under the name of Konstantin, invented a slav writing ‘hlaholica’ and translated evangelic readings and other books of worship for the Slavic people. Meanwhile, Method was a great painter, with a lot of his paintings having biblical motives.
Both Cyril and Metod were teachers of the gospel and spread God’s word all around Slovakia and in 869 both of the missionaries were appointed bishops by Pope Hadrian II.
Shortly having being made bishop, Cyril died, but Method was appointed archbishop and returned to Great Moravia, where he became the head of Slovak Christianity, until he died in the year 885.
Upon their deaths, the Orthodox Church venerated them as saints with the title of “equal-to-apostles”. Then in 1880, Pope Leo XIII introduced their feast into the calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. One hundred years later, in 1980, Pope John Paul II declared them as co-patron saints of Europe.
The Cyril and Methodius’ feast day is currently celebrated on the 14 February in the Roman Catholic Church (coinciding with the date of St Cyril’s death), however, in Slovakia, the two brothers are commemorated on July 5, which is also a national holiday.
Article by David James
David is a travel journalist, content writer and the author of Letters From Slovakia.
David has written 55 awesome articles for us at Slovakia Heart of Europe
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