Saints Cyril and Methodius

 Today we have another Saint that I encountered in Rome. This is also the confirmation Saint of a good friend, so this is dedicated to him.

You can't really talk about St. Cyril without also talking about his brother, St. Methodius. The brothers were born in Thessalonica in the Byzantine Empire. They were named Constantine and Michael before being given new names upon becoming monks. 

About 860, the Byzantine Emperor sent Cyril on a missionary expedition to the Khazars who had requested a scholar be sent to them who could converse with both Jews and Saracens. Upon his return to Constantinople, he became a professor of philosophy at the university. 

In 862, Prince Ratislav of Great Moravia requested missionaries to evangelize his Slavic subjects. His motives were probably more political than religious. Cyril and Methodius were sent on this mission. One of their first tasks was translating the Gospels and essential liturgical texts into Old Church Slavonic, the first Slavic literary language. For the purpose of this mission, they devised the Glagolitic alphabet - the parent of the Cyrillic alphabet that is still used by many languages today. 

When friction developed, the brothers, unwilling to be a cause of dissension among the Christians, decided to travel to Rome to seek a solution from the Pope. They brought with them the relics of St. Clement and a retinue of disciples. The brothers were praised for their learning and cultivated for their influence in Constantinople. 

Cyril died in Rome on February 14, 869. Methodius survived his brother by many years, continuing their mission among the Slavs. He died on April 6, 885. Cyril was buried in the Basilica of St. Clement in Rome (see picture below). Methodius was buried in the main cathedral church of Great Moravia - it remains an open question which city was the capital of Great Moravia, so the exact location of Methodius' body remains uncertain.

Saints Cyril and Methodius are both celebrated on February 14, on the present Roman Catholic calendar. Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius, pray for us.