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Proclaimed patron saints of Europe by Pope John Paul II. Constantine and Methodius were two brothers from Thessalonica in Macedonia, who were sent to Moravia by the Byzantine Emperor in the year 863 in order to bring the Slavonic liturgy to this area. Constantine, a highly talented and learned man who had studied in Byzantium under the greatest scholars of his day, translated the liturgy into the Slavonic language, so that ordinary people could fully understand and participate in the church liturgy. For this purpose, he created an alphabet that best corresponded to the sounds of the Slavonic language. It is known as the Cyrillic language after him. He took the name Cyril after retiring to a monastery shortly before his death. He is buried in Rome. His brother Methodius continued his work, baptising the Bohemian ruler Bořivoj and his wife St. Ludmila. He is buried in the church in Velehrad in Moravia. Their legacy: They were Europeans in the modern sense of the word. Through their wisdom and learning they fostered the identity of different nations by providing them with a more profound knowledge of holy Scripture in their own language. This is why today's Europe, as it moves towards greater unity, turns towards them in prayer more than a thousand years later. |
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