On May 24, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of Saints Cyril and Methodius.

The name of these saints is known to everyone from school, and it is to them that all of us, native speakers of the Russian language, owe our language, culture, and writing.

Incredibly, all European science and culture was born within the monastery walls: it was at the monasteries that the first schools were opened, children were taught to read and write, and vast libraries were collected. It was for the enlightenment of the peoples, for the translation of the Gospel, that many scripts were created. So it happened with the Slavic language.

The holy brothers Cyril and Methodius came from a noble and pious family who lived in the Greek city of Thessalonia. Methodius was a warrior and ruled the Bulgarian principality Byzantine Empire... This gave him the opportunity to learn the Slavic language.

Soon, however, he decided to leave the secular way of life and became a monk at the monastery on Mount Olympus. From childhood, Constantine expressed amazing abilities and received an excellent education together with the juvenile emperor Michael III at the royal court

Then he became a monk in one of the monasteries on Mount Olympus in Asia Minor.

His brother Constantine, who took the name Cyril as a monk, was distinguished from an early age with great abilities and perfectly comprehended all the sciences of his time and many languages.

Soon the emperor sent both brothers to the Khazars to preach the gospel. As the legend says, on the way they stopped in Korsun, where Konstantin found the Gospel and the Psalter, written in "Russian letters", and a person who spoke Russian, and began to learn to read and speak this language.

When the brothers returned to Constantinople, the emperor again sent them on an educational mission - this time to Moravia. The Moravian prince Rostislav was oppressed by the German bishops, and he asked the emperor to send teachers who could preach in the native language of the Slavs.

The Bulgarians were the first of the Slavic peoples to convert to Christianity. In Constantinople, the sister of the Bulgarian prince Bogoris (Boris) was held hostage. She was baptized with the name of Theodora and was brought up in the spirit of the holy faith. Around 860, she returned to Bulgaria and began to persuade her brother to accept Christianity. Boris was baptized, taking the name Michael. Saints Cyril and Methodius were in this country and by their preaching greatly contributed to the establishment of Christianity in it. From Bulgaria the Christian faith spread to neighboring Serbia.

To fulfill the new mission, Constantine and Methodius compiled the Slavic alphabet and translated the main liturgical books(Gospel, Apostle, Psalter). This happened in 863.

In Moravia, the brothers were received with great honor and began to teach Divine services in the Slavic language. This aroused the anger of the German bishops who were conducting services in the Moravian churches in Latin, and they filed a complaint with Rome.

Taking with them the relics of St. Clement (Pope), discovered by them in Korsun, Constantine and Methodius set off for Rome.
Having learned that the brothers were carrying holy relics with them, Pope Adrian greeted them with honor and approved the divine service in the Slavic language. He ordered the books translated by the brothers to be placed in Roman churches and to celebrate the liturgy in the Slavic language.

Saint Methodius fulfilled his brother's will: having returned to Moravia already in the rank of archbishop, he worked here for 15 years. From Moravia, Christianity penetrated into Bohemia during the lifetime of Saint Methodius. Bohemian prince Borivoi took from him holy baptism... His example was followed by his wife Lyudmila (who later became a martyr) and many others. In the middle of the 10th century, the Polish prince Mechislav married the Bohemian princess Dombrovka, after which he and his subjects adopted the Christian faith.

Subsequently, these Slavic peoples, through the efforts of Latin preachers and German emperors, were torn away from the Greek Church under the authority of the Pope, with the exception of the Serbs and Bulgarians. But among all the Slavs, despite the past centuries, the memory of the great Equal-to-the-Apostles enlighteners and that Orthodox faith which they tried to plant among them. The sacred memory of Saints Cyril and Methodius serves as a connecting link for all Slavic peoples.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

Name: Cyril and Methodius (Constantine and Michael)

Activity: creators of the Old Church Slavonic alphabet and Church Slavonic language, Christian preachers

Family status: were not married

Cyril and Methodius: biography

Cyril and Methodius became famous all over the world as champions of the Christian faith and authors of the Slavic alphabet. The biography of the couple is extensive, even a separate biography is devoted to Cyril, created immediately after the death of the man. However, today to get acquainted with brief history the fate of these preachers and founders of the alphabet can be found in various manuals for children. The brothers have their own icon, where they are depicted together. They turn to her with prayers for good studies, luck for students, and an increase in the mind.

Childhood and youth

Cyril and Methodius were born in the Greek city of Thessaloniki (present-day Thessaloniki) in the family of a military leader named Leo, whom the authors of the biography of a couple of saints describe as "a good family and rich." The future monks grew up in the company of five more brothers.

Before the tonsure, the men bore the names Michael and Constantine, and the first was older - born in 815, and Constantine in 827. As for the ethnicity of the family in the circles of historians, disputes still do not subside. Some attribute him to the Slavs, because these people were fluent in the Slavic language. Others attribute Bulgarian and, of course, Greek roots.

The boys received an excellent education, and when they matured, their paths went their separate ways. Methodius went into military service under patronage true friend family and grew even to the governor of the Byzantine province. In the "Slavic reign" he established himself as a wise and just ruler.

From early childhood, Cyril was fond of reading books, amazed the environment with excellent memory and abilities for science, was known as a polyglot - in the language arsenal, in addition to Greek and Slavic, Hebrew and Aramaic were listed. At the age of 20, a young man, a graduate of the University of Magnavr, already taught the basics of philosophy at the court school at Constantinople.

Christian ministry

Cyril flatly refused a secular career, although such an opportunity was provided. The marriage to the goddaughter of an official of the royal office in Byzantium opened up dizzying prospects - the leadership of the region in Macedonia, and then the post of commander-in-chief of the army. However, the young theologian (Constantine was only 15 years old) preferred to set foot on the church path.

When he was already teaching at the university, the man even managed to win theological disputes over the iconoclast leader, who was once the Patriarch John the Grammaticus, also known as Ammius. However, this story is considered just a beautiful legend.

The main task for the government of Byzantium at that time was considered to be the strengthening and promotion of Orthodoxy. Missionaries traveled along with the diplomats who traveled through the cities and villages where they negotiated with religious enemies. Constantine became them at the age of 24, setting off with the first important task from the state - to instruct Muslims on the right path.

In the late 50s of the 9th century, the brothers, tired of the bustle of the world, retired to a monastery, where 37-year-old Methodius was tonsured. However, Cyril was not allowed to rest for a long time: already in 860 the man was called to the throne of the emperor and instructed to join the ranks of the Khazar mission.

The fact is that the Khazar Kagan announced an inter-religious dispute, where Christians were asked to prove the truth of the faith to the Jews and Muslims. The Khazars were already ready to go over to the side of Orthodoxy, but set a condition - only in the event of the victory of the Byzantine polemicists in the disputes.

Cyril took his brother with him and brilliantly completed the task entrusted to him, but still the mission was completely unsuccessful. The Khazar state did not become Christian, although the kagan allowed people to be baptized. Something Serious Happened for Believers on This Trip historical event... On the way, the Byzantines glanced into the Crimea, where, in the vicinity of Chersonesos, Cyril found the relics of Clement, the holy Pope of Rome, the fourth in a row, which were then transferred to Rome.

The brothers are involved in another important mission. Once the ruler of the Moravian lands (Slavic state) Rostislav asked for help from Constantinople - they needed teachers-theologians so that they would tell the people about the true faith in an accessible language. Thus, the prince was going to get away from the influence of the German bishops. This trip became a landmark - the Slavic alphabet appeared.

In Moravia, the brothers worked tirelessly: they translated Greek books, taught the Slavs the basics of reading, writing, and at the same time taught how to conduct divine services. The "business trip" took three years. The results of the labors played an important role in the preparation for the baptism of Bulgaria.

In 867, the brothers had to travel to Rome to answer for "blasphemy." The Western Church called Cyril and Methodius heretics, accusing them of reading sermons, including in the Slavic language, while one can only talk about the Almighty in Greek, Latin and Hebrew.

On the way to the Italian capital they stayed in the Blatensky principality, where they taught the people of the book business. Those who arrived in Rome with the relics of Clement were so delighted that the new Pope Adrian II allowed the services to be held in Slavic and even allowed the translated books to be put in churches. During this meeting, Methodius received the episcopal rank.

Unlike brother Cyril, he was tonsured a monk only on the verge of death - it was necessary. After the death of the preacher, Methodius, overgrown with disciples, returned to Moravia, where he had to fight the German clergy. The deceased Rostislav was replaced by his nephew Svyatopolk, who supported the policy of the Germans, who did not allow the Byzantine priest to work in peace. Any attempts to spread the Slavic language as a church language were suppressed.

Methodius even spent three years in prison at a monastery. Pope John VIII helped to free himself, who imposed a ban on liturgy while Methodius was in prison. However, in order not to aggravate the situation, John also forbade worship in the Slavic language. Only sermons were not punishable by law.

But a native of Thessaloniki, at his own peril and risk, continued to secretly conduct services in Slavic. At the same time, the archbishop baptized the Czech prince, for which a little later he appeared at the trial in Rome. However, luck favored Methodius - he not only escaped punishment, but also received a papal bull and the opportunity to again conduct divine services in the Slavic language. Shortly before his death, he managed to translate the Old Testament.

Creating the alphabet

The brothers from Thessaloniki went down in history as the creators of the Slavic alphabet. The time of the event is 862 or 863. The Life of Cyril and Methodius claims that the idea was born back in 856, when the brothers, along with their disciples Angelarius, Naum and Clement, settled on Mount Little Olympus in the Polykhron monastery. Here Methodius served as abbot.

The authorship of the alphabet is attributed to Cyril, but which one exactly remains a mystery. Scientists lean towards Glagolitic, as indicated by 38 signs that it contains. As for the Cyrillic alphabet, Kliment Ohridsky brought it to life. However, even if this is so, the student still used Cyril's work - it was he who isolated the sounds of the language, which is the most important thing when creating writing.

The basis for the alphabet was the Greek cryptography, the letters are very similar, so the verb was confused with the oriental alphabets. But to designate specific Slavic sounds, they took Hebrew letters, for example, "sh".

Death

Constantine-Cyril on a trip to Rome was struck by a serious illness, and on February 14, 869 he died - this day in Catholicism is recognized as the day of remembrance of saints. The body was interred in the Roman temple of St. Clement. Cyril did not want his brother to return to the monastery in Moravia, and before his death he allegedly said:

“Here, brother, you and I were like two oxen in a harness, plowing one furrow, and I am falling from the forest, having finished my day. And although you love the mountain very much, you cannot leave your teaching for the sake of the mountain, for how else can you better achieve salvation? "

Methodius outlived the wise relative by 16 years. Sensing death, he ordered himself to be taken to church to read a sermon. The priest died in Palm Sunday April 4, 885. Methodius was sung in three languages ​​- Greek, Latin and, of course, Slavic.

At the post, Methodius was replaced by the disciple Gorazd, and then all the undertakings of the holy brothers began to collapse. In Moravia, liturgical translations were gradually banned again, followers and disciples were hunted down - they were persecuted, sold into slavery, and even killed. Some of the adherents fled to neighboring countries. And yet the Slavic culture survived, the center of book learning moved to Bulgaria, and from there to Russia.

The holy Chief of the Apostles are venerated in the West and East. In Russia, a holiday has been established in memory of the brothers' feat - on May 24, the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture is celebrated.

Memory

Settlements

• 1869 - foundation of the village of Methodievka near Novorossiysk

Monuments

• Monument to Cyril and Methodius at the Stone Bridge in Skopje, Macedonia.
• Monument to Cyril and Methodius in Belgrade, Serbia.
• Monument to Cyril and Methodius in Khanty-Mansiysk.
• Monument in honor of Cyril and Methodius in Thessaloniki, Greece. The statue in the form of a gift was donated to Greece by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
• Statue in honor of Cyril and Methodius in front of the building of the National Library of Saints Cyril and Methodius in the city of Sofia, Bulgaria.
• Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and Saints Cyril and Methodius in Velehrad, Czech Republic.
• A monument in honor of Cyril and Methodius, installed in front of the building of the National Palace of Culture in the city of Sofia, Bulgaria.
• Monument to Cyril and Methodius in Prague, Czech Republic.
• Monument to Cyril and Methodius in Ohrid, Macedonia.
• Cyril and Methodius are depicted on the 1000th Anniversary of Russia monument in Veliky Novgorod.

Books

• 1835 - the poem "Cyril-Methodius", Jan Golla
• 1865 - "Collection of Cyril and Methodius" (edited by Mikhail Pogodin)
• 1984 - "Khazar Dictionary", Milorad Pavich
• 1979 - "Solunskie brothers", Slav Karaslavov

Films

• 1983 - "Constantine the Philosopher"
• 1989 - The Solunski brothers
• 2013 - "Cyril and Methodius - Apostles of the Slavs"

Can you imagine life without electricity? Of course it's difficult! But it is known that people used to read and write by candlelight and torch. Imagine life without writing. Some of you will now think to yourself, well, well, that would be great: no need to write dictations and essays. But then there will be no libraries, books, posters, letters and even Email and SMS. In the language, as in a mirror, the whole world is reflected, our whole life. And reading written or printed texts, we sort of sit in a time machine and can travel back to recent times, and to the distant past.

But people did not always possess the art of writing. This art has been developing for a long time, over many millennia. Do you know to whom we should be grateful for our written word, on which our favorite books are written? For our diploma, which we learn at school? For our great Russian literature, with which you get to know and will still study in high school.

Cyril and Methodius lived in the world,

Two Byzantine monks and suddenly

(No, not a legend, not a myth, not a parody)

Some of them thought: “Friend!

How many Slavs are tongueless without Christ!

It is necessary to create an alphabet for the Slavs ...

It was thanks to the labors of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius that the Slavic alphabet was created.

The brothers were born in the Byzantine city of Soluni in the family of a military leader. Methodius was the eldest son, and, choosing the path of a military man, went to serve in one of the Slavic regions. His brother, Cyril, was born 7-10 years later than Methodius, and already in childhood, passionately falling in love with science, amazed teachers with brilliant abilities. At the age of 14, his parents sent him to Constantinople, where in a short time he studied grammar and geometry, arithmetic, astronomy and medicine, ancient art, mastered Slavic, Greek, Hebrew, Latin and Arabic... Refusing the high administrative position offered to him, Cyril took the modest position of a librarian in the Patriarchal Library and at the same time taught philosophy at the university, for which he received the nickname "philosopher." His older brother Methodius entered military service early. For 10 years he was the ruler of one of the regions inhabited by the Slavs. An honest and straightforward man, intolerant of injustice, he left with military service and withdrew to a monastery.

In 863, ambassadors from Moravia arrived in Constantinople to ask them to send preachers to their country and tell the population about Christianity. The emperor decided to send Cyril and Methodius to Moravia. Cyril, before setting off on the journey, asked if the Moravians had an alphabet for their language - "for the enlightenment of the people without writing their language is like trying to write on water," Cyril explained. To which he received a negative answer. The Moravians did not have the ABC, then the brothers began work. They had at their disposal not years, but months. They worked from early morning, barely in bloom, and until late at night, when the eyes were already dazzling with fatigue. In a short time, the alphabet was created for the Moravians. It was named after one of its creators - Cyril - Cyrillic.

With the help of the Slavic alphabet, Cyril and Methodius very quickly translated the main liturgical books from Greek into Slavic. The first book written in Cyrillic was - "Ostromir Gospel", the first words written using the Slavic alphabet was the phrase - "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." And now, for over a thousand years Church Slavonic used in Russian Orthodox Church during the service.

The Slavic alphabet has existed in Russia unchanged for more than seven centuries. Its creators tried to make each letter of the first Russian alphabet simple and clear, easy to write. They remembered that the letters should be beautiful, so that a person who barely saw them would immediately want to master writing.

Each letter had its own name - "az" - A; "Beeches" - B; "Lead" - B; "Verb" - Г; "Good" -D.

This is where the catch phrases “Az and beeches are all sciences”, “” Who knows “Az” and “Beeches” to books in hand ”comes from here. In addition, it was possible to designate numbers with letters. There were 43 letters in Cyrillic.

The Cyrillic alphabet existed in the Russian language unchanged until Peter I, who removed obsolete letters without which it was quite possible to do without - "yus big", "yus small", "omega", "uk". In 1918, 5 more letters left the Russian alphabet - "yat", "fita", "Izhitsa", "er", "er". For a thousand years, many letters have disappeared from our alphabet, and only two have appeared - "y" and "e". They were invented in the 17th century by the Russian writer and historian Karamzin. And now, finally, there are 33 letters left in the modern alphabet.

Where do you think the word "ABC" came from - by the name of the first letters of the alphabet, "az" and "beeches"; in Russia there were several more names for the alphabet - "abevega" and "initial".

Why is the alphabet called the alphabet? The history of this word is interesting. Alphabet. It was born in ancient greece and consists of the names of the first two letters of the Greek alphabet: "alpha" and "beta". The native speakers of Western languages ​​call it “alphabete”. And we pronounce it like "alphabet".

The Slavs were very happy: other peoples of Europe (Germans, Franks, Britons) did not have their own written language. The Slavs now had their own alphabet, and everyone could learn to read a book! “That was wonderful moment! .. The deaf began to hear, and the dumb began to speak, because until that time the Slavs were like deaf and dumb "- recorded in the annals of those times.

Not only children, but also adults began to study. They wrote with sharp sticks on wooden boards covered with wax. The children fell in love with their teachers Cyril and Methodius. Little Slavs gladly went to classes, because the journey along the roads of Truth was so interesting!

With the advent of the Slavic alphabet, written culture began to develop rapidly. Books appeared in Bulgaria, Serbia, and Rus. And how they took shape! The first letter — a drop cap — began each new chapter. The initial letter is unusually beautiful: in the form of a beautiful bird or flower, it was painted with bright, often red flowers. That is why the term "red line" exists today. A Slavic handwritten book could take six to seven years and was very expensive. In a precious setting, with illustrations, today it is a real monument of art.

A long time ago, when the history of the great Russian state was just beginning, "she" was expensive. One of her could be exchanged for a herd of horses or a herd of cows, for sable fur coats. And the point here is not in the jewelry in which the beautiful and clever girl was dressed up. And she wore only expensive embossed leather, pearls and precious stones! Gold and silver clasps adorned her outfit! Admiring her, people said: "Light, you are ours!" They worked on its creation for a long time, but her fate could be very sad. During the invasion of enemies, she was taken prisoner along with people. She could have died in a fire or flood. She was very dear: she inspired hope, restored the strength of the spirit. What kind of curiosity is this. Yes, guys, this is Her Majesty - The Book. She preserved the Word of God and the traditions of distant years to us. The first books were handwritten. It took months, sometimes years, to rewrite one book. Monasteries have always been the centers of book learning in Russia. There, in fasting and prayer, hardworking monks copied and decorated books. A collection of books of 500-1000 manuscripts was considered a great rarity.

Life goes on, and in the middle of the 16th century book printing appeared in Russia. The printing house in Moscow appeared under Ivan the Terrible. It was led by Ivan Fedorov, who is called the first book printer. As a deacon and serving in the temple, he tried to fulfill his dream - to rewrite the holy books without scribes. And so in 1563 he started typing the first page of the first printed book - "The Apostle". In total, he published 12 books in his life, among them was the complete Slavic Bible.

The Slavic alphabet is amazing and is still considered one of the most convenient systems letters. And the names of Cyril and Methodius, the "first teachers of Slovenian", have become a symbol of spiritual achievement. And every person studying the Russian language should know and keep in his memory the holy names of the first Slavic enlighteners - the brothers Cyril and Methodius.

Across wide Russia - our mother

The bells ringing overflows.

Now the brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius

They are glorified for their labors.

"Learning is light, and ignorance is darkness," says a Russian proverb. Cyril and Methodius, brothers from Solunya, are Slovenian educators, creators of the Slavic alphabet, preachers of Christianity. They are called holy teachers. Enlighteners are those who bring light and illuminate them all. Without the alphabet, there is no writing, and without it there is no book that enlightens people, and therefore moves life forward. Monuments to great enlighteners around the world remind us of the spiritual feat of Cyril and Methodius, who gave the world the Slavic alphabet.

In memory of the great feat of Cyril and Methodius, on May 24, the Day of Slavic Written Language is celebrated all over the world. In the year of the millennium since the creation of the Slavic writing in Russia, the Holy Synod adopted a resolution that established “every year, starting from this 1863, on the 11 (24) day of May church celebration Reverend Cyril and Methodius ". Until 1917, Russia celebrated religious holiday Day of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Brothers Cyril and Methodius. With the advent of Soviet power, this great holiday was forgotten. It was revived in 1986. This holiday began to be called the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture.

Quiz

1. Who created the Slavic alphabet? (Cyril and Methodius)

2. What year is considered the year of the emergence of Slavic writing and book business? (863)

3. Why Cyril and Methodius are called "The Solunski brothers"? (Birthplace of brothers-educators, the city of Solun in Macedonia)

4. Who was the older brother: Cyril or Methodius? (Methodius)

5. What was the name of the first book written in Cyrillic? (The Ostrom World Gospel ")

6 Which brother was a librarian and who was a warrior? (Cyril is a librarian, Methodius is a military leader)

7.How was Cyril called for intelligence and diligence? (Philosopher)

8.In whose reign the Slavic alphabet was changed - simplified. (Peter 1)

9. How many letters were in Cyrillic before Peter the Great? (43 letters)

10. How many letters are there in the modern alphabet? (33 letters)

11. Who was the first printer in Russia? (Ivan Fedorov)

12. What was the name of the first printed book? ("Apostle")

13. What words were first written in the Slavic language? (In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God)

The brothers Cyril and Methodius, whose biography is at least briefly known to everyone who speaks Russian, were great enlighteners. They developed an alphabet for many Slavic peoples, which made their name immortal.

Greek origin

The two brothers were from the city of Thessaloniki. The old traditional name Solun has been preserved in Slavic sources. They were born into the family of a successful officer who served under the governor of the province. Cyril was born in 827, and Methodius in 815.

Due to the fact that these Greeks knew very well, some researchers tried to confirm the guess about their Slavic origin. However, no one succeeded in doing this. At the same time, for example, in Bulgaria, educators are considered Bulgarians (they also use the Cyrillic alphabet).

Connoisseurs of the Slavic language

The linguistic knowledge of the noble Greeks can be explained by the history of Soluni. In their era, this city was bilingual. There was a local dialect of the Slavic language. The migration of this tribe has reached its southern border, buried in the Aegean Sea.

At first, the Slavs were pagans and lived under a tribal system, just like their Germanic neighbors. However, those outsiders who settled on the borders of the Byzantine Empire fell into the orbit of its cultural influence. Many of them formed colonies in the Balkans, becoming mercenaries of the Constantinople ruler. Their presence was also strong in Solunia, where Cyril and Methodius were from. At first, the brothers' biography took different paths.

The brothers' worldly career

Methodius (in the world he was called Michael) became a military man and rose to the rank of strategist of one of the provinces in Macedonia. He succeeded thanks to his talents and abilities, as well as the patronage of the influential courtier Theoktist. Kirill s early years engaged in science, and also studied the culture of neighboring peoples. Even before he went to Moravia, thanks to which he became world famous, Constantine (name before taking monastic vows) began to translate chapters of the Gospel into

In addition to linguistics, Kirill studied geometry, dialectics, arithmetic, astronomy, rhetoric and philosophy from the best specialists in Constantinople. Due to his noble origin, he could count on an aristocratic marriage and civil service in the highest echelons of power. However, the young man did not wish such a fate and became the keeper of the library in the main temple of the country - the Hagia Sophia. But even there he did not stay long, and soon began to teach at the capital's university. Thanks to his brilliant victories in philosophical disputes, he received the nickname Philosopher, which is sometimes found in historiographic sources.

Cyril was familiar with the emperor and even went with his instructions to the Muslim caliph. In 856, he and a group of disciples arrived at the monastery on Lesser Olympus, where his brother was the abbot. It was there that Cyril and Methodius, whose biography was now associated with the church, decided to create an alphabet for the Slavs.

Translation of Christian books into Slavic

In 862, ambassadors from the Moravian prince Rostislav arrived in Constantinople. They conveyed a message to the emperor from their ruler. Rostislav asked the Greeks to give him learned people who could teach the Slavs the Christian faith in their own language. The baptism of this tribe took place even before that, but each service was held in a foreign dialect, which was extremely inconvenient. The patriarch and the emperor discussed this request among themselves and decided to ask the Solun brothers to go to Moravia.

Cyril, Methodius and their disciples began to great job... The first language into which the main Christian books were translated was Bulgarian. Biography of Cyril and Methodius, summary which is in every Slavic history textbook, is known for the colossal work of the brothers on the Psalter, the Apostle and the Gospel.

Travel to Moravia

The preachers went to Moravia, where they led a service for three years and taught people to read and write. Their efforts also helped to realize the baptism of the Bulgarians, which took place in 864. They also visited Transcarpathian Rus and Pannonia, where they also glorified the Christian faith in Slavic languages. The brothers Cyril and Methodius, whose short biography includes many travels, found an attentively listening audience everywhere.

Back in Moravia, they had a conflict with German priests who were there with a similar missionary mission. The key difference between the two was the reluctance of Catholics to conduct divine services in the Slavic language. This position was supported by the Roman Church. This organization believed that praising God can only be in three languages: Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. This tradition has existed for many centuries.

The great schism between Catholics and Orthodox had not yet happened, so the Pope still had influence over the Greek priests. He summoned the brothers to Italy. They also wanted to come to Rome to defend their position and make the Germans in Moravia prudent.

Brothers in Rome

The brothers Cyril and Methodius, whose biography is also revered by Catholics, arrived to Adrian II in 868. He came to a compromise with the Greeks and gave his consent so that the Slavs could conduct divine services in their native languages. The Moravians (ancestors of the Czechs) were baptized by bishops from Rome, therefore they were formally under the jurisdiction of the Pope.

While still in Italy, Constantine fell seriously ill. When he realized that he would soon die, the Greek accepted the schema and received the monastic name Cyril, with which he became known in historiography and national memory. While on his deathbed, he asked his brother not to give up the general educational work, but to continue his service among the Slavs.

Continuation of Methodius's preaching activity

Cyril and Methodius, whose brief biography is inseparable, became revered in Moravia during their lifetime. When younger brother returned there, it became much easier for him to continue to fulfill his duty than 8 years ago. However, the situation in the country soon changed. The former prince Rostislav was defeated by Svyatopolk. The new ruler was guided by German patrons. This led to a change in the composition of the priests. The Germans again began lobbying for the idea of ​​preaching in Latin. They even imprisoned Methodius in a monastery. When Pope John VIII found out about this, he forbade the Germans to conduct liturgies until they released the preacher.

Cyril and Methodius have never faced such resistance. Biography, creation and everything related to their life is full of dramatic events. In 874, Methodius was finally released and became archbishop again. However, Rome has already withdrawn its permission to worship in the Moravian language. However, the preacher refused to obey the volatile course of the Catholic Church. He began to conduct secret sermons and ceremonies in the Slavic language.

Methodius' last troubles

His tenacity was not in vain. When the Germans again tried to denigrate him in the eyes of the church, Methodius went to Rome and, thanks to his abilities as an orator, was able to defend his point of view before the Pope. He was given a special bull, which again allowed worship in the national languages.

The Slavs appreciated the uncompromising struggle waged by Cyril and Methodius, whose brief biography was reflected even in ancient folklore. Shortly before his death, the younger brother returned to Byzantium and spent several years in Constantinople. His last great work was the translation into the Slavic language " Old Testament”, With which his faithful disciples helped him. He died in 885 in Moravia.

The significance of the brothers' activities

The alphabet created by the brothers eventually spread to Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria and Russia. Today the Cyrillic alphabet is used by all Eastern Slavs. These are Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians. The biography of Cyril and Methodius for children is taught as part of the school curriculum of these countries.

It is interesting that the original alphabet, created by the brothers, eventually became Glagolitic in historiography. Another version of it, known as the Cyrillic alphabet, appeared a little later thanks to the works of the students of these enlighteners. This scientific controversy remains relevant. The problem is that no ancient sources have come down to us that could surely confirm a specific point of view. Theories are based only on secondary documents that appeared later.

However, the brothers' contribution is difficult to overestimate. Cyril and Methodius, whose brief biography should be known to every Slav, helped not only to spread Christianity, but also to strengthen it among these peoples. In addition, even if we assume that the Cyrillic alphabet was created by the brothers' students, they still relied on their work. This is especially evident in the case of phonetics. Modern Cyrillic alphabets have adopted the sound component from those written symbols that were proposed by preachers.

Both the Western and the Eastern Churches recognize the importance of the activities carried out by Cyril and Methodius. A short biography for children of educators is in many general educational history and Russian textbooks.

Since 1991, our country has celebrated an annual public holiday dedicated to the brothers from Thessaloniki. It is called the Day of Slavic Culture and Writing and is also in Belarus. An order named after them was established in Bulgaria. Cyril and Methodius, Interesting Facts whose biographies are published in various monographs, continue to attract the attention of new researchers of languages ​​and history.

And Methodius went down in history as the creators of the Slavic alphabet. Thanks to their activities, we can now read, express our thoughts in writing. This is quite well-known historical figures... There is even a short biography for children of Cyril and Methodius.

Worldly life of future saints

The two brothers were born in the city of Thessaloniki. Their father is a soldier under the governor of the city. The years of life of Cyril and Methodius in short biography belong to the XIV century AD.

The elder brother Methodius was born in 815, Cyril, at birth Constantine, was born in 827. Methodius, at birth Michael, was originally even appointed to the princely position. But worldly vanity is tired young man... He gave up this privilege and was tonsured at the age of 37.

The younger brother Kirill consciously chose for himself from the very beginning spiritual path... Thanks to his curiosity and phenomenal memory, he won the favor of those around him. Cyril was sent to Byzantium, where he studied with the emperor himself. Having thoroughly studied geometry, dialectics, arithmetic, astronomy, rhetoric and philosophy, he became interested in the study of languages. His noble origin allowed him to enter into a profitable marriage and receive a high state office. But the young man decided to build his life differently. He got a job at the Hagia Sophia as a library curator, and later became a teacher at the university. He often took part in philosophical debates. For the beautiful oratory and his erudition began to be called the Philosopher. But worldly life is just a part of a short biography of Cyril and Methodius, which quickly ended. A new story has begun.

The beginning of the spiritual path

The life of the court did not suit Cyril, and he went to his brother in the monastery. But the spiritual silence and solitude that he so longed for, he never found. Cyril was a frequent participant in controversies related to issues of faith. He perfectly knew the canons of Christianity and often prevailed over opponents thanks to his intelligence and high knowledge.

Later, the emperor of Byzantium expressed a desire to attract the Khazars to the side of Christianity. Jews and Muslims have already begun to spread their religion on their territory. Cyril and Methodius were sent to enlighten the Khazar minds with Christian sermons. Their biography tells about interesting case... On the way home, the brothers visited the city of Korsun. There they were able to get hold of the relics of St. Clement, the former Pope. After returning home, Cyril stayed in the capital, and Methodius went to the Polychrome monastery, which was located near Mount Olympus, where he received abbess.

Mission to Moravia

The biography of the brothers Cyril and Methodius is based on chronicle data. According to them, in 860, the ambassadors of Prince Rostislav of Moravia turned to the Byzantine emperor with a request to send preachers to praise Christianity. The emperor, without hesitation, assigned an important task to Cyril and Methodius. Their biography tells about the complexity of the assignment. It consisted in the fact that German bishops, who were aggressively disposed against the activities of anyone else, had already begun their activities in Moravia.

Arriving in Moravia, Cyril discovered that almost no one knew the Holy Scripture, since the service was performed in a language unknown to the people - Latin. Preachers from Germany were of the opinion that divine services can only be conducted in Latin, Greek and Hebrew, because it was in these languages ​​that the inscriptions on the cross where Christ was crucified were. The Eastern clergy recognized the conduct of services in any language.

The main task of the future saints was to create their own alphabet. After writing their alphabet, they began to rewrite the scriptures in a language understandable to the people. But in order to conduct divine services, it was necessary not only to create your own letter, but also to teach the people to read and write.

The clergy of Moravia was wary of such innovations, and later began to oppose them. An important factor was not only spiritual life, but also political life. Moravia actually submitted to the jurisdiction of the Pope, and the spread of the new letter and language was viewed there as an attempt to seize power by the Byzantine emperor through the hands of preachers. At that time, Catholicism and Orthodoxy were still one faith under the patronage of the Pope.

The vigorous activity of Cyril and Methodius aroused the indignation of the German bishops. Since Cyril always won the victory in religious disputes, the German preachers wrote a complaint to Rome. To resolve this issue, Pope Nicholas I called on the brothers to come to him. Cyril and Methodius were forced to embark on a long journey.

Creating the alphabet

The complete biography of Cyril and Methodius is filled with references to the origin of their greatest creation. Cyril knew the Slavic language well and therefore began to create the alphabet for the Slavs. His older brother actively helped him. The first alphabet was modeled on the Greek alphabet. The letters corresponded to the Greek ones, but had a different look, and Hebrew letters were taken for the characteristic Slavic sounds. This version of the alphabet was called a verb, from the word "verb" - to speak. Another version of the alphabet is called the Cyrillic alphabet.

The Glagolitic alphabet is a set of sticks and symbols that echo the Greek alphabet. Cyrillic is already a variant closer to the modern alphabet. It is believed that it was created by the followers of the saints. But disputes about the truth of this statement are still ongoing.

It is difficult to establish the exact date of the formation of the alphabet, since the primary source has not reached us, there are only minor or rewritten letters.

Metamorphoses of the first alphabet

As soon as Cyril and Methodius finished their work on the creation of the Slavic writing system, they began to translate a number of books for worship. In this they were helped by many students and followers. This is how the Slavic literary language... Some words from it have come down to our times in the Bulgarian, Ukrainian and Russian languages. The early version became the basis of the alphabet of all Eastern Slavs, but the later version was not forgotten either. It is now used in church books.

Initially, the Cyrillic letters were written separately from each other and were called the charter (charter letter), which eventually became a semi-charter. When the original letters were modified, the semi-ustav was replaced by cursive writing. Since the 18th century, during the reign of Peter I, some of the letters were excluded from the Cyrillic alphabet and called the Russian Civil Alphabet.

Cyril and Methodius in Rome

After troubles with the German bishops, Cyril and Methodius were summoned to the Pope for trial. Going to the meeting, the brothers took with them the relics of St. Clement, previously brought from Korsun. But an unforeseen circumstance happened: Nicholas I died before the arrival of the future saints. They were met by his successor Adrian II. A whole delegation was sent out of the city to meet the brothers and holy relics. As a result, the Pope gave his consent to conduct divine services in the Slavic language.

During the trip, Cyril became weak and did not feel well. He fell ill from illness and, foreseeing a speedy death, asked his older brother to continue their common cause. He accepted the schema, changing the worldly name Constantine to the spiritual name Cyril. His older brother had to return from Rome alone.

Methodius without Cyril

As promised, Methodius continued his activity. Pope Adrian II proclaimed Methodius bishop. He was allowed to conduct divine services in the Slavic language, but on condition that he must start the service in Latin or Greek.

Upon returning home, Methodius took several disciples and began to translate the Old Testament into the Slavic language. He opened church schools and educated young, immature minds in matters of Orthodoxy. The population more and more abandoned the parishes where the services were conducted in Latin, and went over to the side of Methodius. This period is one of the brightest episodes in the biography of Cyril and Methodius.

The sad fate of the followers

With the gradual growth of the authority of the German feudal lords and the change of power in the lands of Moravia, mass persecutions of Methodius and his followers began. In 870 he was arrested for "uncontrolled arbitrariness." Together with him, his associates are arrested.

They were imprisoned for six months until they were brought to trial. As a result of lengthy disputes, Methodius was defrocked and imprisoned in a monastery. Only when he got to Rome, he was able to refute empty accusations and regain the rank of archbishop. He continued his educational activities until his death in 885.

After his death, a ban was immediately issued on the conduct of services in the Slavic language. Death or slavery awaited his disciples and followers.

Despite all the hardships, the brothers' work flourished with greater vigor. Thanks to them, many peoples have acquired their own written language. And for all the trials that the brothers had to endure, they were canonized - canonized. We know them as the Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius. Everyone should know and honor the biography of Saints Cyril and Methodius as a tribute to their work.