It all started with Cyril and Methodius...
Kirill(in the world Constantine, nicknamed the Philosopher, 827-869, Rome) and Methodius(in the world Michael; 815-885, Velegrad, Moravia), brothers from the city of Thessalonica (Thessaloniki), therefore also known as the "Thessalonica Brothers" - reformers of the Slavic alphabet and creators of the Church Slavonic language, preachers of Christianity.
Cyril and Methodius are canonized by the church and are revered as saints both in the East and in the West. In Slavic Orthodoxy, "Slovenian teachers" are revered as saints Equal-to-the-Apostles; the order adopted according to church customs is “Methodius and Cyril”, although “Cyril and Methodius” has long been established.
Glagolitic and Cyrillic
Konstantin was a very educated person for his time. This he first began to translate into Slavic books, without which Divine services could not be performed, incl. Gospel, Apostle and Psalter.
In 856, Constantine (Cyril), together with his disciples Clement, Naum and Angelarius, came to the monastery, where his brother Methodius was the abbot. In this monastery, around Constantine and Methodius, a group of like-minded people formed (Gorazd, Clement, Savva, Naum, Angelyar) and they had the idea of creating a Slavic alphabet.
Cyril and Methodius initially did the titanic work of isolating the sounds of the Slavic language, that is, the main part of any work on creating a new script. Then, to record church texts in the Slavic language, they developed a special alphabet - Glagolitic.
The oldest surviving Glagolitic inscription with exact dating dates back to 893 and was made in the church of the Bulgarian Tsar Simeon in Preslav.
Cyrillic, in turn, was created on the basis of the Glagolitic alphabet and the Greek alphabet. Alphabets were created on the basis of the Cyrillic alphabet Belarusian language, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Ruthenian/dialect, Russian, Serbian, Ukrainian, Montenegrin.
Thanks to the activities of the brothers, the alphabet became widespread in the South Slavic lands, which led in 885 to the prohibition of its use in the church service by the pope, who was struggling with the results of the mission of Cyril and Methodius.
Wide use Slavic writing, its "golden age", refers to the reign of Tsar Simeon the Great in Bulgaria (893-927). At the end of the 10th century, it became the language of the church in Kievan Rus.
The Old Church Slavonic language, being the language of the church in Rus', was influenced by the Old Russian language. It was the Old Slavonic language of the Russian edition, as it included elements of living East Slavic speech.
history of the holiday
The history of the holiday has a whole millennium and goes back to the church tradition that existed in Bulgaria in the X-XI centuries.
The earliest data on the celebration of the day of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Saints Cyril and Methodius on May 11 (May 24, according to the new style) date back to the 12th century, although they were recognized as saints at the end of the 9th century. Separately, the memory of St. Cyril is celebrated on February 14, St. Methodius - on April 6, on the days of their death.
The common feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius in the era of the Bulgarian Revival turned into a feast of the alphabet created by them.
In the old days, all Slavic peoples celebrated the day of remembrance of the holy brothers, but then, under the influence of historical and political circumstances, they began to forget about it. But in early XIX century, along with the revival of the Slavic peoples, they remembered the creators of Slavic writing.
In 1863, a decision was made in Russia to celebrate the memory of Saints Cyril and Methodius on May 11 (May 24, according to the new style).
In 1863, the Russian Holy Governing Synod established the celebration of both saints annually on May 11 (according to julian calendar) "in memory of the accomplishment of the millennium from the initial consecration of our native language with the Gospel and the faith of Christ"
By a decree of the Holy Synod in 1885, the memory of May 11 was classified as an average holiday with a vigil. In 1901, the Synod decided to perform annually in churches with all educational institutions spiritual department solemn all-night vigil on the eve and the liturgy, followed by a prayer service to Methodius and Cyril on the very day of May 11, with the release of students from classes. By May 11, the annual graduation act was also timed in church schools.
In mid-July 1869, in the century-old forest across the Tsemes River, Czech settlers who arrived in Novorossiysk founded the village of Mefodievka, which was named after St. Methodius.
The holiday in honor of Cyril and Methodius is a public holiday in Russia (since 1991), Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the Republic of Macedonia. In Russia, Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia, the holiday is celebrated on May 24; in Russia and Bulgaria it bears the name Day Slavic culture and writing, in Macedonia - the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius. In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the holiday is celebrated on July 5th.
Day of Slavic Writing and Culture
Day of Slavic Writing and Culture (Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius) - Russian name holiday.
In Soviet times, the communists did not want to celebrate church holidays, but it was also impossible to pass by such a significant event, therefore, in 1986, when the 1100th anniversary of the death of Methodius was celebrated, May 24 was declared in the USSR "a holiday of Slavic culture and writing", and on January 30, 1991, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR adopted resolution on the annual holding of the "Days of Slavic culture and writing".
At the same time, it was established that every year a new city became the capital of the holiday. locality Russia (except for 1989 and 1990, when the capitals were respectively Kyiv and Minsk, then still part of the USSR).
The Day of Slavic Literature and Culture (Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius) is the Russian name of the holiday dedicated to the day of memory of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers Methodius and Cyril (IX).
Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius, Slovenian teachers
The holy Equal-to-the-Apostles primary teachers and Slavic enlighteners, the brothers Cyril and Methodius, came from a noble and pious family that lived in the Greek city of Thessalonica. Saint Methodius was the eldest of the seven brothers, Saint Constantine (Cyril is his monastic name) was the youngest. Saint Methodius was at first in a military rank and was a ruler in one of his subordinates. Byzantine Empire Slavic principalities, apparently Bulgarian, which gave him the opportunity to learn the Slavic language. After staying there for about 10 years, Saint Methodius then accepted monasticism in one of the monasteries on Mount Olympus. Saint Constantine from an early age was distinguished by great abilities and studied with the young Emperor Michael at the best teachers Constantinople, including Photius, the future Patriarch of Constantinople. Saint Constantine perfectly comprehended all the sciences of his time and many languages, he especially diligently studied the works of St. Gregory the Theologian. For his mind and outstanding knowledge, Saint Constantine received the title of Philosopher (wise). At the end of his teaching, Saint Constantine accepted the rank of priest and was appointed curator of the patriarchal library at the church of Saint Sophia, but soon left the capital and secretly retired to a monastery. Searched there and returned to Constantinople, he was assigned as a teacher of philosophy in the higher school of Constantinople. The wisdom and strength of faith of the still very young Constantine were so great that he managed to defeat the leader of the heretic iconoclasts Annius in the debate. After this victory, Constantine was sent by the emperor to debate the Holy Trinity with the Saracens (Muslims) and also won. Returning, Saint Constantine withdrew to his brother Saint Methodius on Olympus, spending time in unceasing prayer and reading the works of the holy fathers.
Soon the emperor summoned both holy brothers from the monastery and sent them to the Khazars for the gospel sermon. On the way, they stopped for some time in the city of Korsun, preparing for a sermon. There the holy brothers miraculously found the relics of Hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome (Comm. 25 November). In the same place in Korsun, Saint Constantine found a Gospel and a Psalter written in "Russian letters" and a man who spoke Russian, and began to learn from this man to read and speak his language. After that, the holy brothers went to the Khazars, where they won the debate with the Jews and Muslims, preaching the Gospel teaching. On the way home, the brothers again visited Korsun and, taking the relics of St. Clement there, returned to Constantinople. Saint Constantine remained in the capital, while Saint Methodius received hegumenship at the small monastery of Polychron, not far from Mount Olympus, where he had asceticised before.
Soon, ambassadors came to the emperor from the Moravian prince Rostislav, who was being oppressed by the German bishops, with a request to send teachers to Moravia who could preach in their native language for the Slavs. The emperor called Saint Constantine and said to him: "You must go there, for no one can do it better than you." Saint Constantine, with fasting and prayer, embarked on a new feat. With the help of his brother Saint Methodius and the disciples of Gorazd, Clement, Savva, Naum and Angelyar, he compiled the Slavic alphabet and translated into Slavonic the books without which Divine services could not be performed: the Gospel, the Apostle, the Psalter and selected services. This was in 863.
After the completion of the translation, the holy brothers went to Moravia, where they were received with great honor, and began to teach Divine Liturgy in the Slavic language. This aroused the anger of the German bishops, who celebrated divine services in the Moravian churches on Latin, and they rebelled against the holy brothers, arguing that Divine services could only be performed in one of three languages: Hebrew, Greek, or Latin. Saint Constantine answered them: “You recognize only three languages worthy of glorifying God in them. But David cries out: Sing to the Lord, all the earth; praise the Lord, all nations; let every breath praise the Lord! And in the Holy Gospel it is said: Go and teach all languages. The German bishops were put to shame, but became even more embittered and filed a complaint with Rome. The holy brothers were called to Rome to resolve this issue. Taking with them the relics of Saint Clement, Pope of Rome, Saints Constantine and Methodius set off for Rome. Having learned that the holy brothers were carrying holy relics with them, Pope Adrian went out with the clergy to meet them. The holy brothers were greeted with honor, the Pope of Rome approved worship in the Slavic language, and ordered the books translated by the brothers to be placed in Roman churches and to celebrate the liturgy in the Slavic language.
While in Rome, Saint Constantine fell ill and, in a miraculous vision, informed by the Lord that his death was approaching, he took the schema with the name Cyril. 50 days after the adoption of the schema, on February 14, 869, Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril died at the age of 42. Departing to God, Saint Cyril commanded his brother Saint Methodius to continue their common work - the enlightenment of the Slavic peoples with light. true faith. Saint Methodius begged the Pope of Rome to allow the body of his brother to be taken away for burial on native land, but the pope ordered the relics of St. Cyril to be placed in the church of St. Clement, where miracles began to be performed from them.
After the death of St. Cyril, the pope, following the request Slavic prince Kotsela, sent Saint Methodius to Pannonia, ordaining him archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia, to the ancient throne of the holy Apostle Andronicus. In Pannonia, Saint Methodius, together with his disciples, continued to spread Divine services, writing and books in the Slavic language. This again angered the German bishops. They achieved the arrest and trial of Saint Methodius, who was exiled to captivity in Swabia, where he endured many sufferings for two and a half years. Released by order of Pope John VIII and restored to the rights of an archbishop, Methodius continued to preach the gospel among the Slavs and baptized the Czech prince Borivoi and his wife Lyudmila (Comm. 16 September), as well as one of the Polish princes. For the third time, the German bishops persecuted the saint for not accepting the Roman teaching about the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father and from the Son. Saint Methodius was summoned to Rome, but justified himself before the pope, keeping the Orthodox teaching pure, and was again returned to the capital of Moravia, Velehrad.
Here, in last years During his lifetime, Saint Methodius, with the help of two disciple-priests, translated into Slavonic the entire Old Testament, except for the Maccabean books, as well as the Nomocanon (Regulations of the Holy Fathers) and the patristic books (Paterik).
Anticipating the approach of death, Saint Methodius pointed to one of his disciples, Gorazd, as a worthy successor to himself. The saint predicted the day of his death and died on April 6, 885 at the age of about 60 years. The funeral service for the saint was performed in three languages - Slavic, Greek and Latin; he was buried in the cathedral church of Velegrad.
http://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life1038.htm
Slavic glorious day
The feat of Saints Cyril and Methodius - the creation in 863 of the Slavic alphabet - gave us not only writing, but also the opportunity to perform worship and read Holy Scripture in mother tongue. The very formation of Russian statehood coincided with the birth of the Slavic alphabet. Cyril and Methodius celebrations in Russia and Moscow II half of XIX centuries can be partly compared with Pushkin's celebrations - they were the same understanding of the origins national identity and the Russian idea in the light of the feat of the Thessalonica brothers.
The first celebration in honor of Cyril and Methodius coincided with the celebration of the millennium of Russia in 1862, since the following year, 1863, the millennium of the Slavic alphabet was celebrated. Such a combination was very symbolic and testified to the unity of the Church, nation and language. It is quite natural that, in anticipation of the national holiday, they also remembered the “Slavic apostles”, since, according to M.N. Katkov, the language is the people. Their holiday was especially "promoted" by the Slavophiles. The eve of honoring the Solunsky brothers was marked by a kind of miracle - in 1855, the historian M.N. Pogodin presented a particle of the holy relics of Cyril, once presented to him in Prague, as a gift to the house church of Moscow University - the first Cyril and Methodius celebrations in Russia took place there.
The initiative was laid by the Church, and this first holiday was exclusively church. In the 17th century, in connection with the editing of Russian liturgical books according to Greek models, the most ancient service to the first teachers was not included in the official printed Monthly Book. Therefore, at the beginning of 1860, Bishop Anthony of Smolensk (Amfiteatrov) turned to the Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod with a request that the memory of Saints Cyril and Methodius, set by the Church on May 11, should be honored in a more appropriate way, especially considering their ancient honoring in Rus'. He proposed to draw up a new solemn service and time it in churches for the 1000th anniversary of Russia and the enlightenment of the Slavic peoples.
The service compiled by Vladyka Anthony was approved and included in liturgical books under May 11 and sent to Russian churches.
“As an apostle of unity and the Slovenian countries, the teacher, Cyril and Methodius of God’s Wisdom, pray to the Lord of all, establish all the Slovenian languages in Orthodoxy and like-mindedness, pacify the world and save our souls.”
For the first time this service was performed in Russia on May 11, 1862. In Moscow, the first celebrations in honor of Cyril and Methodius took place in the house church of Moscow University - at the junction of faith and science, for the word, worship and enlightenment are interconnected. At the festive liturgy, the ancient canon of St. Cyril and Methodius, and at the end of it a prayer service was performed. Then, at the suggestion of the professorship, a collection was opened for the construction of the icon of Cyril and Methodius for the house university church.
The first celebrations were modest, but marked the beginning of the return of the memory of the Slavic apostles to modern society and the initiative for the revival of the Slavic idea under the auspices of Russia, and most importantly - the comprehension of national self-consciousness in the bosom of the Orthodox Church, which was a kind of opposition to militant liberalism and nihilism. I.S. Aksakov called this holiday "the key to the future spiritual reunification of all Slavs, and the link connecting disparate brothers."
Rumors about the celebration of May 11 in Moscow will spread throughout all Slavic countries with the joyful news of future liberation; because the spiritual revival of the Slavs is impossible without the participation of the multi-million Russian tribe in the common feat of Slavic self-consciousness. So let this holiday in the future spread from the Assumption Cathedral to a rural church in the most remote backwoods.
The clergy called in the future to turn the feast of Cyril and Methodius into a feast of public education, for the holy brothers were public teachers, and glorify them as patrons of public education. In the meantime, they decided that the best memory of them in modern times is the continuation of their work both in education and in the development of Slavic speech. In the same 1862, Alexander II ordered the establishment of Cyril and Methodius scholarships - four nominal scholarships for each Russian university. Sculptures of Cyril and Methodius were placed on the great monument "Millennium of Russia" in Novgorod.
In 1863, the 1000th anniversary of Slavic writing, marked by a festive liturgy in the Kremlin's Assumption Cathedral. Shortly before that, the Holy Synod adopted a decree by which May 11 was again officially declared the day of the annual church celebration of the memory of the Thessalonica brothers "in memory of the millennium from the initial illumination of our native language by the Gospel and the faith of Christ."
Time itself disposed to such celebrations and moved Russia, and indeed the entire Slavic world, to rethink their own existence in the light of the mission of the Slavic apostles, for jubilee dates moved from amazing speed. Already in 1869, the new millennium was celebrated: from the day of the death of St. Kirill. On the eve, a miracle happened: two years earlier, the abbot of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Leonid, during a trip to Athos, discovered there the oldest icon image of Cyril and Methodius. An image was written from him, and brought to Russia.
Now the holiday was celebrated not only in temples, but took on the character of a civil celebration. On that day, February 14, festive divine services were performed in the Kremlin's Miracle Monastery and many Moscow churches, and then public ceremonies followed. An open meeting of the Slavic Charitable Committee was held at Moscow University, at which it was announced the establishment of the Kirillov Prize for young students "in order to encourage young people to study Slavism", which at that time was not particularly successful. And then the director of the Moscow Public and Rumyantsev museums, V.A. Dashkov, promised to build a temple of Cyril and Methodius at the university museum in the architectural style of the 10th century (at the time of the baptism of Rus') and with a chapel in the name of St. Prince Vladimir the Great.
The historical situation was truly amazing. On the one hand, there are great anniversaries marked by a surge of Orthodox, national and social thought, events in the Balkans on the eve of Russian-Turkish war disposed to reflect on the true mission of the Thessalonica brothers and their heritage. On the other hand, their memory never managed to outgrow the ecclesiastical and scientific level and remain a national topic. After the end of the anniversaries, euphoria subsided, memory subsided, all undertakings and plans fell into oblivion, and the Slavic mission, together with the legacy of Cyril and Methodius, still remained a lot for the church and narrowly scientific environment.
However, after the Russian-Turkish war, the liberation of Bulgaria and the assassination of Alexander the Liberator, when the third great anniversary came on April 6, 1885 - the 1000th anniversary of the death of Methodius, the holiday was given the character of a state and pan-Slavic celebration, in which the mission of the Thessalonica brothers was interpreted as all-Slavic and exclusively in the bosom of Orthodoxy. The situation was partly dictated by the fact that the holiday was held and Catholic Church at the Velegrad celebrations, for the Catholic Slavs, where Cyril and Methodius preached before the schism. In Russia, many considered it blasphemy - to honor the memory of St. Methodius with a mass in Latin. In addition, in the Catholic environment there were also “dreams” about the unification of the Western and Eastern Slavs under their auspices, as opposed to the similar aspiration of Russia. The creation of a Slavic Orthodox service by the Solunsky brothers - this was what they tried to emphasize at the celebrations in Russia. After all, before Cyril and Methodius, only ancient Greek, Latin and Hebrew were considered worthy languages for worship. (As explained, in these languages, on the orders of Pontius Pilate, an inscription was made on the Calvary cross of the Lord.)
Now the chief procurator of the Holy Synod K.P. He wrote to Alexander III:
I think that this triumph will not remain without important consequences and will affirm in the people's consciousness (which is especially important in the border regions) the feeling of nationality and the concept of enlightenment associated with the Church.
Pobedonostsev asked the sovereign to honor the celebration with his presence precisely in order to give the holiday a proper official status - not only church, but also state, national, folk.
As a result, the festivities of 1885 became the apogee in the history of honoring the memory of the Slavic apostles. The preparation was thorough and wise. First of all, the lives of the holy brothers were printed in accessible Russian, which were distributed free of charge to the people, scientific and popular biographies, even the ancient church services of St. Cyril and Methodius. Secondly, the widest educational campaign was conducted. "Moskovskie Vedomosti" was noted for the wisest article by M.N. Katkov, in which he, discussing the mission of the Slavic apostles and its significance for the world and Russia, called, among other things, to protect the language, cleanse it of the introduced "monstrous forms" and not to forget that The Slavic language is Russian, only in its most ancient state.
From here to translate Holy Scripture from Old Church Slavonic into Russian, the people need to preserve its “warehouse”, only replacing “incomprehensible with understandable”, and not translating “Our Father” as “Our Father” or instead of Lord - Master. That is, do not transmit "sacred objects in the form of everyday speech." (Katkov rarely loses his sense of modernity.) The merit of the Solun brothers is, in fact, the birth of the Russian people.
They raised the new people who came into the world to historical life, they created a new force in the world, which is destined to be appointed in the dispensation of Providence, which, in the event of a division of the Churches, is destined to stay in the East ... if Cyril and Methodius had not sanctified our primitive language, had not elevated our word to a liturgical organ, there would have been no place left and there would be no vessel for the Eastern Orthodox Church, there would be no one to fulfill the work of her destinies.
Celebrations in Russia were held with the participation of the imperial couple and with foreign delegations from the Slavic countries. On April 6, before the festive divine service in St. Isaac's Cathedral, the consecration of Archimandrite Mitrofan (Ban), who was ordained Metropolitan of Montenegro, took place. Pobedonostsev asked the sovereign to grant him the episcopal vestments similar to those in which Russian bishops put on for the coronation.
And then a liturgy was held in the presence of the sovereign, the chief prosecutor of the Holy Synod, ministers and Slavic deputations, and the festive message of the Holy Synod was read.
By the grace of God, through them, the Gospel of Christ was sent down to us, through them we came to know the beauty of the Church and were led from darkness to light and from death to eternal life.
The next day, civil festivities took place. In the evening, a solemn meeting of the Slavic Charitable Society was held under the chairmanship of P.P. Durnovo. All the same “Muscovite” ideas about the unity of the Slavic tribe were repeated, “a firm start to which, a thousand years ago, was laid by Saints Cyril and Methodius.” There were also unexpected fresh ideas. For example, V.I. Lamansky very much supported the idea of the Catholic Slavs about the restoration of an independent Moravian archbishopate (St. Methodius served as archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia) with Slavic dioceses and about the return of Latin Christianity to the apostolic traditions and customs of the ancient Roman Church. It was in this that he saw both the beginning of real reconciliation and the resolution of many Slavic strife.
Moscow celebrated in its own way, crowded with thousands of pilgrims who surrounded the Kremlin, Red Square and the surrounding environs. The liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was officiated by Bishop Alexy of Tauride, where, by the way, several students from each school were present - that is, the idea of the patronage of Cyril and Methodius to public education began to come true little by little. From there, the procession went to the Kremlin. There, in the Assumption Cathedral, after the end of the liturgy, a grand procession began to the sound of all the Kremlin bells. The spectacle was majestic - hundreds of banners swayed, bells buzzed, golden vestments sparkled, a thousand-mouthed prayer was announced. The festive procession through the Spassky Gates went to Red Square, where the icon of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, went to the Nikolsky Gate and returned to the Kremlin through them.
Then the civic festivities began. A solemn meeting was held at Moscow University, which opened with the singing of "Today the grace of the Holy Spirit has gathered us." In the Katkov Lyceum of Tsarevich Nikolai, after the liturgy in the house church, V.V. Nazarevsky, an outstanding historian of Moscow, delivered a jubilee speech. In the Moscow Theological Seminary, hymns to the Slavic apostles were performed, to the music of P.I. Tchaikovsky and the priest V.F. Starorussky. Metropolitan Ioanniky proposed to honor the memory of the Slavic first teachers by establishing the "Brotherhood for Assistance to Parish Schools." The brotherhood of Cyril and Methodius was created and existed until 1917, and should not be confused with the Kostomarovo society of the same name. Everyone that day cared and folk holiday education - lectures were arranged for ordinary Muscovites in libraries and reading rooms.
And there was also a completely logical thought, indicated in the article by Katkov and in the speech of the Irkutsk cathedral archpriest Athanasius Vinogradov, consonant with him, about the Catholic and Orthodox celebration. Can they be considered united and equal? Catholic Slavs, "Czechs, Moravians, Slovenes and Croats justly celebrate because the missionary activity of the brothers took place in their countries." However Western Slavs they fell away from the Orthodox doctrine of the holy brothers (who preached before the schism of the Churches), the rite of worship introduced by them, and rejected the fruits of their educational activity. As a result, the service at the Velegrad celebrations is in Latin. In the words of Katkov, the Russian people "put their cause at the forefront of their entire building - both church and state." East Slavs they preserved the doctrine and worship in their original form, and although the Slavic dialects have already significantly moved away from each other, but “the language of the Church still remains common among them” - this is the guarantee of spiritual unity Slavic world, "under the moral influence of the Russian people, as the eldest member of this family."
Thus, Pobedonostsev, according to the modern researcher A. Popovkin, took a kind of revenge for the Berlin Congress, at which the achievements of the Russian-Turkish war were diplomatically failed. Now Russia was at the head of the Slavic celebrations, claiming the "status of the imperial center of the Slavic civilization." The emperor was pleased.
And then everything went downhill again. The pre-revolutionary, semi-liberal, semi-revolutionary Russian society, torn by political strife, turned out to be incapable of a deep understanding of the Slavic mission, and indeed historical events it was not favored. It turned out to be easier to hold and attend one-time celebrations than to join them spiritually. Anniversary "ideas" were fulfilled for a long time and with difficulty, or even not fulfilled. According to the historian V.F. Kozlov, at a place near the Senate Tower, where he almost appeared before Historical Museum, were going to build the Moscow Church of Cyril and Methodius, but in the end only the mausoleum was built. The Encyclopedia of Slavic Philology was published a quarter of a century after the Methodius celebrations, but only in the form of the first volume. Only the idea of the patronage of the holy brothers to public education was gaining strength. In 1887 house church in their name it was consecrated at the Agricultural School on Smolensky Boulevard (later - the Military Veterinary Academy), and in 1911 - in the church-school near the Danilovsky cemetery. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Synod ordered that on May 11 (24) a festive service be held in house churches at all educational institutions of the spiritual department with the release of students from classes.
The thread of history continues. In our time, the holiday of the creators of the Russian word has become a state holiday. In 1992 it was installed wonderful monument Cyril and Methodius with an inextinguishable lamp on Slavyanskaya Square, happily renamed from Nogin Square. The monument as a symbol of the revival of Russia and as the same pledge of Slavic unity.
Let us recall the words from the Tale of Bygone Years: "Yes, if anyone blasphemes the Slovenian letter, let him be excommunicated from the church."
Elena Lebedeva
From this article you will learn:
You can read and write with school bench, thanks to which today you actively and quickly manage the keyboard and sites. Do you know who you owe these unique skills to? Of course, to his first teacher, but if you look much deeper ... On May 24, Russia will celebrate the Day of Cyril and Methodius - the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers of Thessalonica, who created the Slavic alphabet. So they are our first teachers.
Cyril and Methodius: the story of the Thessalonica brothers
Cyril and Methodius: the story of the Thessalonica brothers
There is a lot of information about Cyril and Methodius on the net. In order not to spread our thoughts along the tree, let's put together all the facts and lay out a brief chronicle of their biography, adorned with curious facts.
- Names
The names of the Thessalonica brothers are their monastic names, but in fact Cyril was called Konstantin from birth, and Methodius was called Michael: such native Russian names ... And Cyril-Konstantin in the world also had a nickname: Philosopher. Right now we can only speculate about the reasons why he got it.
- Origin
Constantine (years of life 827-869) was younger than Michael (815-885), but died much earlier than him. And between them, their parents had five more sons. The father was a military officer. Some do not understand how the brothers, who were born in the Greek city of Thessaloniki, could know the Slavic language perfectly. But Thessaloniki was a unique city: both Greek and Slavic were spoken in it.
- Career
Yes, it's a career. Before being tonsured a monk, Michael managed to become a strategist (Greek military rank), and Constantine was known as the smartest and most educated person in the entire Greek state. Constantine even had a touching love story with one of the daughters of a Greek dignitary. By marrying he would brilliant career. But the Greek decides to devote his life to God and people. The brothers become monks, gather like-minded people around them and begin to work diligently on the creation of the alphabet.
- Missions of Constantine
Konstantin went to different countries with embassies, converted people to Christianity, taught them the alphabet. For centuries, we know only about three such missions: Khazar, Bulgarian and Moravian. One can only guess how many languages Konstantin actually knew.
After their death, the brothers left followers and students who contributed to the spread of the Slavic alphabet, on the basis of which our modern letter was created.
Pretty informative biography. It is hard to imagine that so many centuries ago someone conceived such a global task - to teach the Slavs the alphabet. And after all, not only conceived, but also created ...
The history of the holiday of Slavic writing
The history of the holiday of Slavic writing
How and why did May 24 become the Day of Cyril and Methodius? This is the unique case when they found a common point of contact between a public holiday and an Orthodox one. On the one hand, Cyril and Methodius are saints revered by the church, and the state is well aware of the importance of writing for the population. So there was a happy merger of two global understandings. However, the path of the formation of this holiday was not easy, if you follow its stages:
- The Russian Holy Synod in 1863 decreed that in connection with the celebration anniversary date(millennium) of the Moravian Mission Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius, from May 11 (and according to the new style - 24) to establish a celebration in honor of Methodius and Cyril annually.
- In the USSR, in 1986, when the date of the 1100th anniversary of the death of Methodius was celebrated, May 24 was officially declared by the Government "The Holiday of Slavic Culture and Literature."
- In 1991, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR adopted a resolution to hold "Days of Slavic Culture and Literature" every year.
Through the crucible of all these transformations and trials, the Day of Cyril and Methodius appears before us as it is now.
Day of Cyril and Methodius: customs and traditions
Day of Cyril and Methodius: customs and traditions
Any celebration, especially if it goes back centuries, is always associated with certain traditions and customs, dictated by the life of the peasants in Rus'. Some elements are reborn and adapted to modern conditions life, but something is irretrievably a thing of the past. And how do you celebrate the Day of Cyril and Methodius? Maybe one of the traditions of the holiday will be to your taste?
- Prayers, Divine Services, religious processions
IN Orthodox churches On May 24, hymns of praise are sung in honor of the Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers. It can be prayers or entire Divine Services, but one way or another, any Orthodox person strives on this day to the temple, to put a candle to Cyril and Methodius. In many parishes and dioceses, processions are held in honor of the brothers to show the significance of their deeds for the entire culture of Russia.
- Scientific conferences
As a rule, on May 24, various scientific conferences, symposiums of the different levels- from school to all-Russian. Most often, the fate and history of the Russian language becomes the subject of such scientific meetings. In parallel with this, various thematic exhibitions are organized and competitions are held.
This is how it is, the Day of Cyril and Methodius, in Russia, in the Russian Orthodox Church, in the heart of every Russian person. This is our history, which we must sacredly honor and respect, pass on to our children. I would like to wish that with the introduction of all computer technology people still did not forget the book as one of the main values left to us by the Thessalonica brothers.
Day of Slavic Writing and Culture
The purpose of the lesson:
Reveal the meaning of the holiday: Day of Slavic Writing and Culture
Lesson objectives:
1. Instill in children a love for native word, native language, national history.
2. To introduce students to the origins of the creation of the Slavic alphabet.
3. Raise respect for the creators of the Cyrillic alphabet, national pride for the language.
Equipment:
Computer, presentation.
During the classes
Teacher's word:
Today we will talk about our history, about the emergence of Slavic writing. Every year on May 24, Russia celebrates the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture. A nation, a people, a state cannot live without culture, literacy, writing.
On May 24, the Slavic peoples - Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Bulgarians, Serbs, Czechs, Slovaks, Poles - celebrate a special holiday - "Day of Slavic Writing".
Across wide Rus' - our mother -
bell ringing spills.
Now brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius
Glorified for their labors
They remember Cyril and Methodius -
Glorious Brothers Equal to the Apostles
In Belarus, Macedonia,
In Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Praise the wise brothers in Bulgaria,
In Ukraine, Croatia, Serbia.
All nations that write in Cyrillic,
What are called from ancient times Slavic,
Praise the feat of the first teachers,
Christian enlighteners.
Fair-haired and gray-eyed,
All bright in face and glorious in heart,
Drevlyans, Russians, meadows,
Tell me who are you?
WE ARE SLAVES!
Everyone is handsome with their article,
All different and all similar
You are now called - Russians,
Since ancient times, who are you?
WE ARE SLAVES!
Writing is a real treasure that a person has mastered.
So in ancient times, people exchanged information by sending each other various objects. It turned out cumbersome and not particularly clear. When people realized that exchanging message items is a troublesome business, they began to draw these items.
(3, 4, 5, 6 slide. Cave drawings)
Such images have been found on the walls of caves where ancient people once lived. These are the first steps of man to the creation of writing. Gradually, people began to replace the drawings with symbols.
(Slide 7. Rock symbols-letters)
The inscriptions were made on stones, rock, on the board. Of course, it was inconvenient to carry such “letters” over distances, and these signs could be understood in different ways.
Time passed. Gradually, people moved from drawing to signs, which they began to call letters. This is how writing was born.
(slide 8. The emergence of writing)
(9, 10, 11, 12, 13 slide. Cyril and Methodius)
On the screen you see an image of two brothers in monastic attire. They are Cyril (Konstantin in the world) and Methodius (Michael in the world). Who are Cyril and Methodius? (Report)
They were originally from the Macedonian city of Thessalonica. Cyril studied theology and taught philosophy. He was called a philosopher, and in Russian a sage. Since childhood, he dreamed of writing books understandable to the Slavs, and for this it was necessary to come up with Slavic letters. It turned out to be a very difficult task and Kirill alone could not have coped with it. His elder brother Methodius began to help him. They worked hard and as a result the alphabet appeared. It had 38 letters. Some of them were taken from the Greek alphabet, and some were specially invented to convey the sounds of Slavic speech. So Slavic peoples received their own writing - the alphabet, which was called Cyrillic in memory of its creator. It was in the IX century.
More than 1110 years ago, the brothers Cyril and Methodius brought the light of writing and knowledge to the lands of the Slavs. It happened in 863.
The brothers were born into a large family of a military commander who served in Thessalonica, in a town on the border of Bulgaria and Greece. Methodius was older brother for 6 years. From childhood, the boys knew two languages: their native Greek and Slavic, because the population of the town consisted of half Greeks, half Slavs.
Konstantin, thanks to a lively and quick mind, passion for learning and diligence, received an excellent education under imperial court. Both brothers lived a spiritual life, did not attach special significance wealth, fame, career. Younger brother translated, wrote, creating the alphabet, in Slavonic. The elder one published books, ran a school, wrote hymns and poetic sermons.
First, Constantine depicted the sounds common to the Slavs and Greeks. He tried to record each unknown sound in different ways. If the signs seemed clumsy to him, he replaced them. Each letter should be simple and clear - easy to write. After all, the Slavs will need a lot of books. And the simpler the letters, the sooner you can rewrite the book. After all, inept people will begin to write, with hands unaccustomed to writing. The letters must also be beautiful, so that a person who has barely seen them immediately wants to master the letter.
In connection with the appearance of Slavic writing, the churches where German priests preached began to empty, and the churches where Slavic speech sounded were full. The Germans could not put up with this and declared the brothers and their books outlaws. It was then that the brothers and their disciples had to go to Rome. In Rome, the pope himself went out to the brothers, accepted the Slavic books, and consecrated them.
Konstantin was not destined to return to his homeland. Seriously ill, he took the tonsure, received the name Cyril, and died a few hours later. With this name, he remained to live in the bright memory of his descendants. Dying, Cyril said to his brother: “Here, brother, we were a couple in one team and plowed one furrow. And I fall on the field, having finished my day. Don’t you dare leave your teacher…”
Methodius, having buried his brother, returned to the Slavs, but on a false denunciation he was imprisoned. For two and a half years the light went out for the one who himself brought light to people. With great difficulty, the disciples managed to achieve the release of Methodius. His educational and teaching activities continued until the very last days.
(14, 15, 16 slide. ABC. Glagolitic and Cyrillic)
Glagolitic and Cyrillic are the first Slavic alphabets. The name of the alphabet "Glagolitic" comes from the word VERB, which means "speech". And "Cyrillic" is named after its creator. In Ancient Rus', the Glagolitic alphabet was used to convey church texts and existed for 3 centuries, and in everyday writing used Cyrillic. There are 43 letters in Cyrillic, later this alphabet became the basis of the Russian alphabet.
(17, 18, 19, 20, 21 slides. First books)
In 988, a palace school of “book teaching” was opened in Kyiv. arose new center book culture, the school connected Kievan Rus with European civilization.
Books in Rus' were very expensive. They were made on parchment: the skin of a sheep was soaked in lime, dried, then honey was rubbed.
From the well, such a blue depth
My Kitezh grows, four walls,
Gilded horse, lace shutters - apart ...
Rose of the East. Ros is illuminating.
Wooden fairy tale, lake peace,
Why do I need your shore, such an openwork?
In whimsical curves of patterned roofs?
Yes, shepherd's horn? Yes, pipe reeds?
Apparently, the archival memory began to hurt,
If there is nothing to regret in the wilds of concrete -
So at least beckon you from the depths,
From Cyrillic woven songs-epics.
Wooden fairy tale, forgotten Ros,
You pierce my soul with an arrow.
And I don't know why it's needed
Like water from a well, your old man ....
(22, 23, 24 slide. Birch bark letters)
In Rus', another material for writing was also used for a long time - birch bark. Signs on birch bark were applied with a bone rod.
From the 10th century on the basis of the Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets to Old Russian literature is distributed. Most often these were church books, teachings, learned works.
(25, 26, 27, 28, 29 slide. The first books and chroniclers)
(30 slide. The first printing presses in Rus')
Over time, more convenient machines appeared, and with them the modern alphabet.
Good book, my companion, my friend,
Leisure time is interesting with you.
You teach to be truthful and valiant,
Nature, people to understand and love.
I cherish you, I protect you.
I can't live without a good book.
(31, 32, 33 slide. ABC)
Appearance letters of the Slavic alphabet helps us see the world through the eyes of our ancestors. Each letter is individual, unique and has its own name: lead, people, beeches, az, earth.
The names of the letters were supposed to remind people of such words that should not be forgotten: “good”, “live”, “earth”, “people”, “peace”.
"Az" and "Buki". It turned out the word "AZBUKA".
(34 slide. Proverbs)
People say so: “First, “az” and “beeches”, then science.” It is from the basics that the path of each of us into the world of knowledge begins.
Guys, listen to the proverbs about the benefits of learning.
He who wants to know a lot needs little sleep.
To go into science is to endure torment.
By God's will, the light stands, people live by science.
Without pain, there is no science.
To think nothing - to turn sour for a century.
(Slide 35. Continue the proverb)
Only 43 sister letters look at us from an old scroll. Their names became the basis of the modern Russian language.
Russian language.
I love my mother tongue!
It is clear to everyone
He is melodious
He, like the Russian people, is many-sided,
As our power, mighty.
He is the language of the moon and planets,
Our satellites and rockets
At the round table
Speak it:
unambiguous and direct,
It is like the truth itself.
(36, 37 slide. Monuments to Cyril and Methodius)
In honor of the enlighteners Cyril and Methodius, a holiday was established - the Day of Slavic Writing and Culture. This holiday came to us from Bulgaria, where this tradition is over 100 years old. To this day, on the eve of the holiday, the Bulgarians lay flowers at the monuments to Cyril and Methodius.
In our country, the holiday has been celebrated since 1986. In 1992, the sculptor V. Klykov created a monument to the Slavic enlighteners, Cyril and Methodius, which was installed in Moscow.
On May 24, all our people will celebrate the Holiday of Slavic Literature and Culture. On this day, a monument to Cyril and Methodius was opened in Moscow on Slavyanskaya Square. At the foot of this monument, an inextinguishable Lampada is installed - a sign eternal memory. Since then, every year on May 24 we honor Cyril and Methodius.
It is a pity that we started celebrating the Slavic Literature Day very late, because in other Slavic countries this day is celebrated a long time ago, popularly, very colorfully and truly festive.
(38, 39 slide. Saints Cyril and Methodius)
The Thessalonica brothers Cyril and Methodius are the pride of the entire Slavic world. They said: doesn't the sun shine for everyone, doesn't it shine for everyone? it's raining, doesn't the earth feed everyone? All people are equal, all people are brothers, all are equal before the Lord, and everyone needs literacy. The Orthodox Church canonized the brothers Cyril and Methodius as saints.
In a narrow monastery cell,
In four blank walls,
About the land of ancient Russian
The story was written by a monk.
He wrote in winter and summer,
Illuminated by dim light.
He wrote from year to year
About our great people.
(N. Konchalovskaya)
And write down and convey to us "deeds for a long time past days” helped the Slavic alphabet, which was invented about two thousand years ago by the brothers Cyril and Methodius from the distant Greek town of Thessaloniki.
(40 slide)
Two brothers, Cyril and Methodius,
We want to say thank you!
For the letters that we really need
To teach us to read.
In the history of writing, there are many fun facts. Here are some of them.
The biggest book in the world- "Super book", has dimensions of 2.74x3.07 m, weighs 252.6 kg and contains 300 pages. It was published in Denver, Colorado, USA in 1976.
The smallest book on sale, was printed on paper measuring 1x1 meter. This is a children's story "Old King Cole", published in 1985 in Scotland. Its pages can be carefully turned with a needle.
The smallest book in the world- until recently it was "Kobzar" T.G. Shevchenko is a miracle of the hands of a Ukrainian engineer, created with the help of microtechnology. It is made in a single copy and consists of twelve pages of text and two illustrations. The pages are sewn with dyed cobwebs, and you can turn them over with the pointed end of the hair. The cover is made of immortelle petal and decorated on both sides with golden stripes. Seven such publications easily fit on the end of a match, and the book can only be read with a magnifying glass. It can be easily threaded through the eye of a needle or hidden in the eyelashes. Later it turned out that this little book is not the limit for miniaturists. Zhmerinsky craftsman created a volume of poems by A.S. Pushkin with a volume of only 0.0064 cubic meters. mm! A portrait of the poet is engraved on the cover of the book. If you look at the book with the naked eye, it looks like a speck of dust, because it is 15 times smaller than a poppy seed. If you look through a microscope, you can see a rather plump volume.
Most original autograph writer belongs to Maxim Gorky. In the spring of 1937 Italian fishermen in the vicinity of Palermo caught a huge turtle weighing 100 kg. Their attention was drawn to the inscription made on the shell: “Released the tortoise Torto on April 1, 1922. The turtle weighs 52 kg and is 90 cm long. Toto is very fond of sardines. Maksim Gorky. Capri."
The first handwritten book in Rus'- "Courantes". She began publishing in 1621. by order of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. The content of the newspaper was considered a state secret because it contained excerpts from foreign newspapers about various events in Europe. The chimes were read only by the tsar and his inner circle. The newspaper was issued in a single copy.
The first printed newspaper in Rus'- Vedomosti began to be published by decree of Peter I and was intended for the mass reader.
The most ancient library peace is a collection of clay books of King Ashurbanipal in Nineveh (7th century BC).
The very first library in Rus' was created by Yaroslav the Wise in Kyiv in Sophia Cathedral in 1037.
The largest library in the world- Library of Congress in Washington DC.
The largest library in Russia– Russian state library in Moscow.
The origin of the holiday is inseparably linked with the memory of the creators of the Cyrillic alphabet - the Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers Cyril and Methodius.
Cyril and Methodius were born into a noble and pious family that lived in Thessaloniki (now Thessaloniki). The elder brother Methodius chose the military field, served in the Slavic principality dependent on the Byzantine Empire, where he learned the local language. After 10 years of service, he became a monk, and then became the abbot of a monastery in Bithynia.
Kirill s early age was interested in science, studied languages, and communicated with prominent personalities of that time, such as the Byzantine chronicler Leon Grammatikos and Patriarch Photius. After completing his studies, he received the rank of priest, taught philosophy in Constantinople, and later moved to Methodius in a monastery, where he prayed and read a lot.
The reason for the creation of a new script was the request of the Moravian prince Rostislav to send teachers to him so that they preached in the native language of his subjects. These were the times when the Slavic peoples were just entering the historical stage and needed convincing sermons and popular worship. In 863, the brothers begin to create a new alphabet. They significantly change the Greek alphabet and try to more accurately convey Slavic sounds. Using the new script, they translate books, texts from the Gospel, psalms, hymns for liturgies. As soon as the word of God sounded in the Slavic language, the need for local clergymen immediately arose, so the most worthy were prepared for ordination. Listening to the texts of the Holy Scriptures in their native language, people began to accept Christianity, and with it the written language. Having inherited their own alphabet, the culture and spirituality of the Slavic countries experienced an unprecedented rise.
The Orthodox Church deeply honors the memory of the brothers. Already in the XI century. the day of May 11 (May 24 according to the Gregorian calendar) is declared the day of memory of Saints Cyril and Methodius, and later, when science and education flourished, this day became the holiday of Slavic writing. In Rus', the custom of remembering Cyril and Methodius has developed a very long time ago, but at the state level the holiday was approved only in 1863, almost 1000 years after the introduction of the Cyrillic alphabet. IN Soviet times they forgot about him at all, but on May 24, 1986, several events were held in Murmansk, dedicated to the Day writing, and the very next year it was celebrated in Kyiv, Minsk and Novgorod. In 1991, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR legalized the holiday as the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture.
Now in Russia the holiday is celebrated by both the church and the secular community. Together with commemorative services, processions and pilgrimages to monasteries, exhibitions, presentations, literary readings, contests and holiday concerts. This holiday is a reason for joy and pride in your national culture, both for believers and convinced atheists in many countries.
