St Cyril, Equal to the Apostles, Teacher of the Slavs (+869)
The holy Cyril, Equal to the Apostles, Teacher of the Slavs (before taking the schema, Constantine), and his elder brother Methodius (commemorated 6 April), Slavs by origin, were born in the Macedonian city of Thessalonica. Cyril, who from the age of fourteen was brought up together with the emperor’s son, received a brilliant education, after which, while still quite young, he was ordained presbyter. On returning to Constantinople Cyril became librarian of the cathedral church and a teacher of philosophy. The saint debated successfully on questions of faith with iconoclast heretics and with Muslims. Inclined to solitude, the venerable father went to Mount Olympus, where his brother Methodius was labouring, but his withdrawal from this life did not last long: in 857 the Emperor Michael sent the brothers to preach Christianity among the Khazars.
On the way they stopped in Chersonesus, where they uncovered the relics of the Pope of Rome, the holy Hieromartyr Clement. Cyril and Methodius’s missionary journey to Khazaria proved very successful: the king, and with him the whole people, accepted Christianity. The grateful ruler wished to reward the preachers with rich gifts, but the saints refused the presents and asked him to free the Greek captives. Saint Cyril returned to Constantinople with two hundred people freed from captivity.
In 862 the most important stage of the blessed brothers’ labours began: at the request of Prince Rostislav the emperor sent the brothers to Moravia to preach Christianity in the Slavonic language. By divine revelation Cyril and Methodius created the Slavonic alphabet and translated into this language the Gospel, the Apostle, the Psalter and many other service books; they also established divine service in Slavonic. Then, at the invitation of the Pope of Rome, the brothers went to Rome. Pope Hadrian II received the saints with great honour; they brought with them the relics of the Hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome. Heavy and tireless labours soon broke Cyril, who was very weak in body: he fell ill and, after receiving the schema, died in 869 at the age of forty-two. Before his death he charged his brother to continue the Christian enlightenment of the Slavs. The blessed Cyril is buried in Rome, in the church of Saint Clement.
