Roads of Western Ukraine. I invite you to a virtual tour in the town of Mukachevo. I want to introduce you to the great saintly persons, the creators of the Slavic alphabet. Both Sacred Equal Apostles Cyril and Methodius, teachers of the Slavs.

Hello my dear friends. Today I want to introduce you to the great saintly persons. It Both Sacred Equal Apostles Cyril and Methodius, teachers of the Slavs. Monument to these people is made of bronze and set in the city of Mukachevo in the Transcarpathian Ukraine in 1996. 

You already know that my husband and I went on a trip to show you our country. From this trip I have told you a lot about the different places of interest. It shows you and castles, and restaurants and thermal baths. And now I tell you about these great people of the saints.

My husband and I saw this monument, when walked on the most beautiful square in the city of Mukachevo World. Peace Square is located in the center of the city and attracts not only tourists. The locals love to walk in the center. Since we did not know anything about this monument, we decided to ask the inhabitants of the city more. And that's what we learned. We were told that the creators of the monument was Ivan Brody. This man is a sculptor and national artist of our country. Eschenam told that when the sculptor worked on the figures of Cyril and Methodius, he was almost blind. Ivan Brody threatened to remain blind for life. But when the monument consecrated by Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev, by the sculptor Ivan Brodie back vision. To this day people believe that it was a miraculous healing.

Interesting fact. At the site of the monument to Cyril and Methodius in Mukachevo were previously Stalin and Lenin.

Soviet power in 1945 "brought" with him in the Carpathians and Stalin monument. The monument itself was opened after three years and, accordingly, called the area in which it is located. Photos from the opening of the monument and the view of it posted on his page on the social network Facebook user Sergey silence. leader Monument opened on July 12, 1949. Stalin stood on the modern areas of the world, approximately where today a monument to Cyril and Methodius. After Stalin on this site was Lenin. Soviet-style Square ensemble completed an obelisk with a hammer and sickle, which are located close to the leader. Yes, and the center of Mukachevo, of course, looked quite different.

Photo from the Internet.

Who are those Both Sacred Equal Apostles Cyril and Methodius, teachers of the Slavs? Here is what I found about them.  

Blood Brothers Cyril and Methodius came from a pious family, who lived in the Greek city of Thessalonica (in Macedonia). They were children of the magistrates, a native Bulgarian Slav. Saint Methodius was the oldest of seven brothers, St Constantine (Cyril - his monastic name) - the youngest. Saint Methodius, first served, like his father, a military rank. The king, having learned about it, as a good soldier, put his commander in one Slavic principality Slavin, a former Greek under power. It happened at the discretion of the particular God and to Methodius could better learn the Slavic language, as a future teacher and later the spiritual shepherd of the Slavs. After staying in the rank of the magistrates for about 10 years and knowing the vanity of life, Methodius began to have their will to renounce all earthly and fasten their thoughts to heaven. Leaving the province and all the pleasures of the world, he went to the monks of Mount Olympus. And his brother, Saint Constantine with his youth showed brilliant successes both in the secular and in religious and moral education. He studied with juvenile Emperor Michael of Constantinople from the best teachers, including in Photius, the future Patriarch of Constantinople. 

Having received an excellent education, he perfectly comprehended all the sciences of his time, and many languages, especially diligently studied it creation St. Gregory the Theologian, for which he received the nickname Philosopher (wise). At the end of the teachings of St Constantine he was ordained a priest and was appointed curator of the patriarchal library at the Church of St. Sophia. But ignoring all the advantages of his position, he retired to a monastery at the Black Sea. Almost by force, he was returned to Constantinople and philosophy teacher is defined in the higher school of Constantinople. Wisdom and strength of faith still quite young Constantine were so great that he was able to win the debate the leader of heretics iconoclasts Anin.

Then Cyril retired to his brother Methodius and several years shared with him monastic feats in a monastery on Mount Olympus, where he became the first to study the Slavic language. The monasteries that were on the mountain, there were many monks, Slavs from various neighboring countries, why Constantine could be here for yourself constant practice, which was especially important for him, because he almost since childhood, spent all his time in the Greek media. Soon the emperor summoned the two holy brothers from the monastery and sent them to the Khazars for the preaching of the Gospel. On the way they stopped for a while in the city of Korsun, preparing for the sermon. Here the holy brothers learned that the power of the Holy Martyr Clement, Pope of Rome, located in the sea, and miraculously found them. There in Korsun St Constantine found a Gospel and Psalter, written "Russian letters", and the man speaking in Russian, and began to learn from this man to read and speak in his own language. After that, the holy brothers went to the Khazars, which triumphed in the debate with the Jews and Muslims, preaching the Gospel teaching. 

Soon we came to the emperor after by Moravian Prince Rostislav, oppressed by the German bishops, asking them to send teachers to Moravia, who could preach in their native Slavic language. Emperor Constantine called a saint and told him: "We need you to go for the best you no one will perform." St. Constantine with fasting and prayer has started a new feat. With the help of his brother Saint Methodius and the students Gorazd, Clement, Sava, Naum and Angelyara it was a Slavonic alphabet and translated into the Slavic language of the book, without which it could not be committed Worship: Gospel, Psalter, and selected service. Some chroniclers report that the first words written in Slavonic were the words of St. John the Evangelist: "In the beginning baa (were) the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." It was in the year 863. 

After completion of the transfer of the holy brothers went to Moravia, where they were received with great honor and began to teach the divine services in Slavonic. This caused anger of the German bishops made in the Moravian Church Worship in Latin, and they rebelled against the holy brothers and filed a complaint to Rome. In the year 867 St. Constantine and Methodius were caused by Pope Nicholas I in Rome for the court to resolve the issue. Taking with them the relics of Saint Clement, Pope of Rome, Saints Constantine and Methodius went to Rome. When they arrived in Rome, Nicholas I was no longer alive; his successor, Adrian II of, knowing that they carry with them the relics of St. Clement, solemnly met them outside the city. The Pope approved the Divine service in the Slavic language and translated the book ordered the brothers put in the Roman Church and liturgy in the Slavic language. While in Rome, Saint Constantine, in a wonderful vision of being informed of the death of the Lord approached, he took the monastic name of Cyril. Within 50 days after the adoption of the schema, 14 February 869, Cyril died at the age of 42 years. Before his death, he told his brother: "We're a close-knit pair of oxen were a furrow; I was brought low, but you do not think to leave the teaching profession and works back to his mountain retreat. " Dad ordered to put the relics of St. Cyril in the church of St. Clement, where miracles began to be made from them. 

After the death of St. Cyril Pope, following the request of the Slavic prince Kotsela he sent St. Methodius in Pannonia, ordaining him Archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia, the ancient throne of the Holy Apostle Andronicus. Thus Methodius had to endure a lot of trouble from heterodox missionaries, but he continued to preach the Gospel among the Slavs and baptized Czech Prince Borivoy and his wife Ludmilla (September 16), as well as one of the Polish princes. 

In the last years of his life, St Methodius, with the help of two student-priests translated into Slavic entire Old Testament, except the Book of Maccabees, and Nomocanon (Rules of the Fathers) and patristic books (Paterik). 

The saint predicted the day of his death and died on April 6885 at the age of about 60 years. The funeral of St was committed in three languages ​​- Slavonic, Greek and Latin; He was buried in the cathedral church of Velehrad - the capital of Moravia. By the saints Cyril and Methodius ranked in antiquity. The Russian Orthodox Church of Sts memory educators Slavs honored with the XI century. The ancient holy life, come down to our time, belong to the XIII century. By the saints Cyril and Methodius ranked in antiquity. The Russian Orthodox Church of Sts memory educators Slavs honored with the XI century. The ancient holy life, come down to our time, belong to the XIII century. 

Solemn celebration of the memory of the holy Primates of Cyril and Methodius was established in the Russian Church in 1863. In the icon for the original May 11 said: "Reverend our Methodius and Constantine Cyril fiancé, Moravian bishops, teachers of the Slavs. Methodius - the likeness of an old man, his hair Seda, Brada debt aki Vlasieva, episcopal vestments and omophorion, in the gospel of his hands. Constantine - garments prepodobnicheskie and schema, in the hands of the book, and in it was written Russian alphabet A, B, C, D, E and other word (s) of all for a number of ... ". St. Synod Decree (1885) celebration of the memory of the Slavic teachers referred to the average church holidays. The same decree identified: in prayer on lithium, in the Gospel at Matins before the canon, to let go, as well as in all prayers, in whom are remembered universal hierarchs of the Russian Church, remember, after the name of St. Nicholas the Archbishop of Myra miracle worker, names ilk in our holy fathers Cyril and Methodius, teachers of the Slavs. For Russia the Orthodox celebration of Sts. first teacher has a special meaning: "They bo nachasya akin to us yazsche slovenstem Divine Liturgy and Church service will make all, and the inexhaustible well of water into everlasting life dadesya us."

     

My dear friends. Thank you for reading my blog. I am very pleased and happy to write to you. Thanks to you, I also learned a lot of new, I did not know before. Follow me, our journey continues. Thank you for attention.