Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Bulgarian Orthodox Church marks Assumption of Saint Methodius on April 6

Photo: Archive

On April 6, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church commemorates the Assumption of St. Methodius. He was the older brother of Saint Cyril also known as Constantine the Philosopher. Both are known as the Apostles of the Slavs. Methodius became a monk after giving up his occupation as a military governor of a Slavic region near Thessaloniki. 

In the Polychron monastery the two brothers created the first Slavic alphabet - the Glagolitic alphabet. Methodius accompanied his brother in all his diplomatic and spiritual missions, including during the mission in Great Moravia.
After Pope Adrian II blessed the Slavic translations of the liturgical books and after the death in Rome of St. Cyril, Methodius continued the enlightenment work among the Slavs. He was ordained by the Vatican as Archbishop of Moravia. Despite the persecution by the German imperial and ecclesiastical authorities, St. Methodius developed a wide range of translation and baptismal activities. His students, expelled from Great Moravia, saved and developed the new Slavonic script in Bulgaria.

In 1980, Pope John Paul II declared the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius co-patrons of Europe because their work was a bridge between the East and the West, contributed to the cultural growth of the Old Continent and educated generations of Europeans.

You can learn more HERE.


Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Father Paolo Cortesi

Father Cortesi: More and more people from all Christian Churches are working for unity

On 20 April, all Christians will celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. Against the backdrop of our divided and troubled world, Catholics, together with Orthodox Christians, Armenians and Protestants, will send a message of hope and share the joy of the..

published on 4/19/25 12:35 PM

On Holy Saturday, Christ descends into hell to save the righteous

Holy Saturday services begin on Friday evening with Vespers. The Church commemorates the burial of Christ the Saviour and His descent into hell to save the righteous who had died before His work of redemption. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, with..

published on 4/19/25 5:10 AM

Patriarch Daniil: The Cross is not the end, it is the path to the Resurrection

On Good Friday, the saddest day for Christians, the liturgy commemorates the suffering, crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ, who sacrificed himself for the guilt and sins of humanity. The service at the Metropolitan Cathedral "St. Nedelya" in..

published on 4/18/25 2:54 PM