Saint Methodius Equal to the Apostles

Saint Methodius (c. 815–885 AD), together with his brother Saint Cyril, is venerated as one of the great Apostles to the Slavs and a co-patron of Europe. Born in Thessalonica to a Greek military family, he and his brother Cyril were sent as missionaries to the Slavic peoples of Moravia in 863 AD at the request of Prince Rastislav.

Saint Methodius and Saint Cyril created the Glagolitic alphabet — the precursor to the Cyrillic script — in order to translate the Holy Scriptures and the Divine Liturgy into the Slavic language, making them the first to bring the Word of God to the Slavs in their own tongue. This monumental achievement laid the foundation for Slavic Christian civilization and literacy.

After the repose of Saint Cyril in Rome in 869, Saint Methodius continued the missionary work alone, eventually being consecrated Archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia. He faced fierce opposition from German clergy who insisted on the exclusive use of Latin in the liturgy, but he persevered in defending the right of the Slavs to worship in their own language. He reposed on April 6, 885. His feast day is February 14, shared with Saint Cyril. Browse our handcrafted Orthodox icons and devotional items honoring Saint Methodius, made in our Ohio workshop using traditional Byzantine embroidery techniques.