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Bulgarian Orthodox Church marks Assumption of Saint Methodius on April 6

Photo: Archive

On April 6, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church commemorates the Assumption of St. Methodius. He was the older brother of Saint Cyril also known as Constantine the Philosopher. Both are known as the Apostles of the Slavs. Methodius became a monk after giving up his occupation as a military governor of a Slavic region near Thessaloniki. 

In the Polychron monastery the two brothers created the first Slavic alphabet - the Glagolitic alphabet. Methodius accompanied his brother in all his diplomatic and spiritual missions, including during the mission in Great Moravia.
After Pope Adrian II blessed the Slavic translations of the liturgical books and after the death in Rome of St. Cyril, Methodius continued the enlightenment work among the Slavs. He was ordained by the Vatican as Archbishop of Moravia. Despite the persecution by the German imperial and ecclesiastical authorities, St. Methodius developed a wide range of translation and baptismal activities. His students, expelled from Great Moravia, saved and developed the new Slavonic script in Bulgaria.

In 1980, Pope John Paul II declared the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius co-patrons of Europe because their work was a bridge between the East and the West, contributed to the cultural growth of the Old Continent and educated generations of Europeans.

You can learn more HERE.


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