Cyril and Methodius Route – Cultural Route of the Council of Europe

Cyril and Methodius Route

Cultural Route of the Council of Europe

EXPERIENCE | KNOWLEDGE | AWARENESS

Discover a profound, eleven-century-long impact
on the cultural history and cultural identity of the Slavs

Get to Know
the Cyril and Methodius Route

Exploration connected with movement in nature and visiting cultural sites nad institutions that preserve cultural heritage of the Slavs. Hike on the trails of the Route, discover cultural heritage of Cyril and Methodius or get acquainted with the Association. Then find out more information about this unique Cultural Route of the Council of Europe.

Latest from Cyril and Methodius Route.

Are you interested in what has been happening on the Route? We provide you with news about cultural events, itineraries, conferences and workshops and much more. Scroll down with the mouse and click on any image below. You can check out the calendar of events which can be found in the main menu of the website.

EXHIBITION ON THE CYRIL AND METHODIUS HERITAGE OPENED IN AQUILEIA, ITALY


6th December 2023, Aquileia, Italy

An exhibition was opened last week in Aquileia, Italy, in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. The opening of the exhibition took place on the 6th of December on the occasion of a conference dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the UNESCO inscription of the Archaeological Area and the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia. Mrs. Dana Daňová, Chair of the Managing Committee of the Association, presented how the Route benefits from international cooperation with other Council of Europe Cultural Routes, such as Via Francigena, Via Romea Germanica or Via Romea Strata.

STUDENTS CONFERENCE IN THESSALONIKI

20th November – 1st December 2023, Thessaloniki, Greece
Schools can register their pupils and students aged 13-17 for the two-day Student Conference in Thessaloniki (Greece) focused on the subject of the personalities, contribution and legacy of Cyril and Methodius. The student conference is organized on the occasion of the 1160th anniversary of the cultural heritage of Thessaloniki brothers and Slavic heralds. The conference will take place on November 30 – December 1, 2023 at the Thessaloniki City Hall.

THE ASSOCIATION WELCOMED NEW MEMBERS FROM THE CZECH REPUBLIC, SLOVAKIA, BULGARIA AND NORTHERN MACEDONIA


14th November 2023, Mojmírovce, Slovakia

Expanding with 9 new members from four European countries. The new members are Velehrad Municipality (Czech Republic), Modrá Municipality (Czech Republic), Bojná Municipality (Slovakia), Žilina Self-Governing Region (Slovakia), the civic association EUROPEAN ROUTE C&M (Slovakia), Mojmir Foundation (Slovakia), the Institute of Macedonian Literature at the University of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Skopje (Nothern Macedonia), Institute of Old Slavic Culture Prilep (Northern Macedonia) and the Archaeological Museum of Veliki Preslav (Bulgaria). The Association has already 33 official members from 9 countries.

COUNCILLORS OF THE ZLÍN REGION, THE BISHOP OF OLOMOUC AND MAYORS OF MUNICIPALITIES MET ON THE CYRIL AND METHODIUS ROUTE


24th October 2023, Bunč – Velehrad, Czech Republic
There were a meeting of Councilors of the Zlín Region together with Bishop Nuzík of Olomouc on the hiking trail of the Route leading from Bunč to Velehrad. “In the further development of the Route, cooperation and communication with our partners, including the municipalities along its trail, is crucial for us. We therefore took this opportunity to visit several of them during our journey, where we met and discussed with the local mayors. Together, we realise that the centre of the marked trails in the Velehrad area has extraordinary potential and there is a need for quality services and accompanying infrastructure.

Focusing on ...

The Association focuses on different developing and sustainable activities. They are as a result presenting variety of the cultural heritage of Saints Cyril and Methodius and their followers. 

Network of Slavic heritage

From the first Slavic script - Glagolitic - and the Old Slavic language to the present.

Network of locations

Interesting places connected with the spread of the Cyril and Methodius legacy.

Network of trails

Inspired by the journey of Slavic missionaries and their followers.

Network of events

Cultural and educational activities throughout the year.

Network of products

Tourism products - coordinated under the common logo of the Cyril and Methodius Route.

Network of institutions

Maintaining the heritage of Saints Cyril and Methodius.

The Essence of the Cyril and Methodius Heritage

Cyril and Methodius Route

The main focus of the Route is cultural ideas and cultural content. These were introduced by Cyril and Methodius during the mission they led primarily among the Slavs of Great Moravia from 863 to 868. (Their mission activities also included the Slavs of the polity of Lower Pannonia). 

The mission led by Cyril and Methodius was undertaken as a response from Byzantine Emperor Michael III to the request of Duke Rastislav of Great Moravia. Firstly, introducing an intelligible language for the sacred and public use in that Slavic polity. Secondly, buttressing and strengthening Christian faith of their inhabitants. Cyril and Methodius, however, not only refined the Slavic vernacular (by supplementing vocabulary and grammar) to meet the needs of theological, philosophical, legislative, administrative, and literary discourse. In fact, they boldly went even further, with Constantine inventing a script tailored to fit the Slavic phonemic system – the Glagolitic script.

At the end of the 9th century, the Cyrillic script was created in the South Slavic lands. Most likely in the Bulgarian Khanate. While the Glagolitic script was still relatively widely used during the 11th century (especially within the Ohrid Literary School), from the 12th century onward the Cyrillic script prevailed. It served as the equivalent of the Greek alphabet for Slavs of the Eastern Rite, who lived in the civilizational and political environment of the Eastern Roman Empire. The Glagolitic script remained in use among Croatians, with the last Glagolitic text printed in 1927.

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