№ 1699. The 1150th anniversary of the mission Saints equal to the Apostles Cyril and Methodius to the Slavic countries

 

Saints equal to the Apostles Cyril and Methodius are the first Apostles of the Slavs, apostles of the Christianity, the creators of the Slavic written language, the authors of the first translations of the Holy Scripture into Slavic language.

In 859 Cyril began his work on the development of the Slavic alphabet and the translation of Greek service books. In 862 the Great Moravian Duke Rostislav applied to Byzantian Emperor Mikhail III with a request to send missionaries who could be able to preach Christianity in the Slavic language.  The brothers Cyril and Methodius have been put at the head of the mission who finished the translations of New Testament, Apostle, Books of Psalms and other service books together with flocks (pupils). The language of translation of Cyril and Methodius reflecting the dialect of Thessalonica Slavs and which came down to us in the lists of X-XI centuries became the first literary language of all the Slavs. It is customary to call this language as Old Slavic or Old Church Slavonic.     

The souvenir sheet depicts Saints equal to the Apostles Cyril and Methodius with a roll of alphabet and Glagolitsa surrounded by the religious people.