Η καθιέρωση της τιμής των Ιεραποστόλων Αγίων Κυρίλλου και Μεθοδίου στη γενέτειρά τους Θεσσαλονίκη

Abstract

The Venerartion OF Missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius in their Birthplace ThessaloniKI The Byzantine-Greek brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius, born in Thessaloniki (9th c.), have laid the foundations of the Slavs’ spiritual culture through their Christian missionary work in the regions of Great Moravia and Pannonia. Recognizing this great contribution as well as the sainthood of their lives, Slavs honored them as Saints soon after their death. At the same time, the two Saints were also venerated by the Greek-speaking Christians of the Archdiocese of Achrida, who developed a rich related hagiological tradition. This paper focuses on the reverence toward the Saints Cyril and Methodius in their birthplace Thessaloniki. The ecclesiastical feast on their memory was introduced for the first time in it by the Bulgarian Exarchate in ca.1876, but without the participation of the Orthodox Greek community because of the Bulgarian nationalistic characteristics. Many years later, however, in 1957, Holy Metropolis of Thessaloniki began the inclusion process of two Thessalonian brothers in the Greek Orthodox Church Calendar (feast day on May 11 th ). In 1981 was founded in Thessaloniki the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius, which opened its gates in 1983 and obtained gradually part of their holy relics. Meanwhile, many scientific conferences have been held in their honor by the city’s spiritual bodies. Thereby, Thessaloniki, as birthplace of Saints Cyril and Methodius, has obtained a special spiritual role in Europe and has become a pilgrimage place in their memory.