Although not as famous as the saint we celebrate popularly today, Valentine, Cyril and Methodius, like Valentine, represent the strength of Christian love, as the strong bond of brotherly love of these two men strengthened them as they spread Christianity among the Slavic peoples of Europe.

Cyril and Methodius were born in the early ninth century in Thessalonica, which is now part of contemporary Greece. Methodius, the elder, was born around 818AD and Cyril around 827AD. Some sources claim that they were ethnically Turkish by birth, others that they were Greek. Their father died when they were still young and they were raised by the great preacher Theoktistos, who was not only a revered minister but was a powerful figure in the court of the Emperor.

Cyril was sent on his first missionary expedition East on his own, while Methodius became an abbot of a monastery. Cyril returned and studied philosophy, while he continued having great influence in the affairs of the empire. The brothers were sent on a mission to Moravia, at the request of Prince Rastislav of Moravia. Moravia had recently rejected paganism and converted to Christianity. But the people needed more instruction in the faith. Cyril and Methodius, imitating Christ’s gospel command to journey two-by-two, traveled to Moravia and spread the faith. Furthermore, they created a new alphabet—Glagolitic—to write down the Slavic language, in order that they might receive religious instruction and practice the liturgy in the local tongue. This original alphabet still exists as modern Cyrillic (named after Cyril himself).

The brothers worked tirelessly to bring Christianity to the Slavs in their native tongue. They translated the liturgy and most books of the Bible into the Slavonic language.

Cyril died in 869 in Rome and Methodius died several years later in 885, after serving as archbishop of Moravia after his brother’s death. The brothers have been celebrated as saints early as the eleventh century, and many Eastern European countries honor them with public holidays. They are the patron saints of Europe and also of Bulgaria, Macedonia, Czech Republic, and Slovakia.

They are witnesses to the creative ability of missionaries to bring the love of God into every culture and to speak the Word of God in rich and beautiful new languages.

Saints Cyril and Methodius, brothers who spread Christianity throughout Eastern Europe—pray for us!