Prince of Moravia. Svatopluk I (Prince of Great Moravia)

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✪ 4. Baptism of Russia

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We are in Kiev, where, according to legend, the Apostle Andrew the First-Called came back in the 1st century to erect a cross on the Kiev mountains and sow the first seeds of Christian preaching in the Russian land. However, these seeds sprouted much later - only nine centuries later, when Christianity made its victorious march through the cities and villages of the Byzantine Empire, as well as far beyond its borders. This era was marked by the expansion of the missionary activities of the Christian Churches in the Slavic lands inhabited by pagans. These pagans raided the Byzantine lands and served as a constant source of anxiety for Constantinople. In 860, the Kiev knights Askold and Dir went to Constantinople, after which Byzantium made vigorous diplomatic efforts to improve relations with its northern neighbors. A year later, a mission was sent to Khazaria consisting of two brothers, Cyril and Methodius, who knew the Slavic language and translated the Holy Scripture into this language. It is with them that the history of enlightenment and book learning in the Slavic lands begins. By the 60s of the 9th century, the baptism of the Bulgarian Tsar Boris I dates back. At the same time, the first Greek bishop was sent to Russia. This is mentioned by Patriarch Photius in his roundabout message: “For not only the Bulgarian people changed their former wickedness to faith in Christ, but even many times famous for many and leaving everyone behind in ferocity and bloodshed, the very so-called Ros people - those who enslaving those who lived around them and therefore overly proud, they raised their hands against the Roman power itself. But now, however, they have also changed the pagan and godless faith in which they dwelt before, to the pure and genuine religion of Christians. It is not known how long the first episcopal see existed in Russia. Apparently, the fruits of the "first baptism of Russia", described by Photius, were destroyed at the beginning of the 10th century, under Prince Oleg. However, when in 944, under Prince Igor, an agreement was concluded between Byzantium and Russia, there were already Christians among the Russian merchants and the princely squad, and in Kiev there was a “cathedral church” in the name of the prophet Elijah. The widow of Prince Igor, Princess Olga, converted to Christianity in Constantinople in the middle of the 10th century. In 987, a rebellion broke out in Byzantium, raised by two generals who hoped, having come to power, to divide the empire among themselves. Emperor Vasily II did not have enough of his own strength to suppress the rebellion, and he sent an embassy to Kiev to Prince Vladimir with a request for help. Vladimir agreed on the condition that he would marry the Emperor's sister Anna. The Byzantines set their own condition: Vladimir must accept Christianity. After the Russian prince and his squad were baptized in Constantinople by the patriarch, a mass baptism of Russian people took place in Kiev on the banks of the Dnieper. The same mass baptisms, accompanied by the overthrow of pagan temples, took place in many other cities of Russia. The Baptism of Russia was for Prince Vladimir is definitely a political act. First, it promised an alliance with Byzantium. Secondly, the wise prince, like Emperor Constantine in his time, saw in Christianity that spiritual force that was supposed to help him unite the people. At the same time, the adoption of Christianity was an act of personal courage on the part of the prince, for, breaking with the religion of his ancestors, he took a certain risk. The adoption of Christianity was, in addition, a matter of personal piety of Prince Vladimir, because it required him to change his way of life, to renounce polygamy and other pagan customs. The Russian Church appreciated the moral feat of the prince, glorifying him in the face of saints with the title "Equal to the Apostles." The Tale of Bygone Years contains a colorful story about how, in the years preceding his baptism, Vladimir met Muslims from Bulgaria, German Christians, Khazar Jews, and also a certain Greek philosopher. Islam was rejected by Vladimir because it prescribes circumcision, abstaining from pork meat, and not drinking alcohol. “Rus has fun to drink, we cannot exist without it,” the prince said to the Muslims. To the Germans, who said that it was possible not to observe the fasts, Vladimir said: “Go back where you came from, for even our fathers did not accept this.” The Khazar Jews told Vladimir that their land was in Jerusalem, but God punished them for their sins, gave their land to Christians, and scattered them to different countries. Vladimir said to this: “How can you teach others, but you yourself are rejected by God and scattered: if God loved you and your law, then you would not be scattered over foreign lands. Or do you want the same for us? Of all the preachers, Vladimir liked only the Greek philosopher, but the boyars and elders advised him to send an embassy to different countries in order to make the final choice. The ambassadors visited several countries, but nowhere did they like faith and worship. Finally, they came to Constantinople and were allowed to attend the solemn patriarchal service here, in this majestic church of Hagia Sophia. The splendor of the church service struck the Russian ambassadors. Here is what they told Prince Vladimir upon their return: “And we came to the Greek land, and brought us to where they serve their God, and did not know whether we were in heaven or on earth: for there is no such sight and beauty on earth, and we don't know how to talk about it. We only know that God lives there with people, and their service is better than in all other countries. Hearing this, the boyars of Prince Vladimir told him: “If the Greek law was bad, then your grandmother Olga would not have accepted it, but she was the wisest of all people". Vladimir asked: “Where shall we be baptized?” They answered: "Where you like." Whatever the historical accuracy of this story from The Tale of Bygone Years, it is obvious that during the period described, Russia was a "tidbit" for missionaries from different countries. And if the mission of the Jews and Muslims seems unlikely, then the information about the mission of the German bishops is quite reliable. There is no doubt that all the Slavic lands, including Moravia, Pannonia, Bulgaria, Serbia and Russia, in the second half of the 9th and in the 10th century were the scene of parallel missions of the Byzantine and Latin Churches, which acted not so much in the spirit of cooperation as in the spirit of rivalry. After Russia was baptized by Prince Vladimir, the Kiev Metropolis was formed in it under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The first metropolitans were Greeks and were sent from Constantinople. Divine services at first were also performed in Greek. Exact date the foundations of the metropolis, as well as the names of the first metropolitans, are the subject of controversy among scholars. In the Russian Orthodox Church, Michael, who died in 992, is recognized as the first Metropolitan of Kiev: It is believed that Prince Vladimir brought him with him from Chersonese. Simultaneously or almost simultaneously with the metropolis in Kiev, episcopal departments were founded in Novgorod, Polotsk and some other cities. Mass baptisms were performed in all cities and villages. After the death of Prince Vladimir in 1015, a struggle for power began between his sons: Svyatopolk declared himself Prince of Kiev and, in order to get rid of possible rivals, killed his own brothers. Boris, who reigned in Rostov, and Gleb, who reigned in Murom. The veneration of Boris and Gleb began shortly after their death. And already in 1026, a temple was consecrated at the place of their burial by Metropolitan John I of Kiev. Boris and Gleb were the first saints glorified by the Russian Church. Although they were not martyrs for Christ, they were glorified as "passion-bearers" who did not want to raise their hands against their brother and protect their lives, but gave it up to end civil strife and establish peace. The murderer of Boris and Gleb, Svyatopolk the Accursed, was defeated in 1019 by another son of the holy Prince Vladimir, Yaroslav the Wise, whose long reign was associated with the strengthening and further spread of Christianity in Russia. Under Yaroslav, the St. Sophia Cathedral was built in Kiev, cathedrals in Novgorod and many other cities, under him the first monasteries appeared, and systematic work began on the translation of Greek liturgical books into Slavic . Under Yaroslav, the first metropolitan of Russian origin appeared in Kiev, Hilarion, who was elected and appointed to the Kiev cathedra by a council of Russian bishops. Prior to his appointment, he was a priest in the princely village of Berestov and was known as "a gracious man, a bookish and fasting man": he dug a cave for himself on the banks of the Dnieper and retired there to pray and psalm-sing. Metropolitan Hilarion entered the history of the Russian Church as an outstanding educator and spiritual writer. Of his creations, the “Word of Law and Grace” was especially popular in Russia - one of the first original works of Russian church writing. One of the leitmotifs of the work is the opposition of Christianity to Judaism, Grace to Law. At the same time, the Word is an experience of understanding Christianity as a universal saving faith, in which, thanks to the holy Prince Vladimir, the Russian people became involved. With great inspiration and strength, Metropolitan Hilarion speaks of the fruits of the adoption of Christianity by Russia: “And it was fitting for Grace and Truth to shine over the new people... For the grace-filled faith has spread throughout the earth and has reached our Russian people. And we are no longer called idolaters, but Christians, still living not without hope, but trusting in Eternal Life. And we are no longer erecting temples of Satan, but we are building the churches of Christ ... Our most good God has mercy on all peoples, and He did not despise us: He willed - and saved us and brought us to the knowledge of the Truth. In the Baptism of Russia by Prince Vladimir, Metropolitan Hilarion sees a turning point in Russian history. The author of the Lay managed to convey the spiritual exultation that was characteristic of young Russian Christianity as a new faith that replaced the decayed paganism: “Then the idol darkness began to move away from us - and the dawn of orthodoxy appeared; Then the darkness of the ministry of demons disappeared - and the word of the Gospel shone on our land. Then the temples were destroyed, and the churches were supplied, the idols were broken, and the icons of the saints appeared, the demons fled, and the cross consecrated the city. The shepherds of the verbal sheep of Christ, the bishops, stood before the holy altar, offering the Bloodless Sacrifice; the presbyters and deacons and the entire clergy adorned and adorned the holy churches with magnificence... Monasteries arose on the mountains, the Chernorizians appeared. Men and women, small and great, all the people who filled the holy churches glorified the Lord.” The chronicle tradition connects with the name of Metropolitan Hilarion the foundation of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, which by the end of the 11th century had become a major center of spiritual life and religious enlightenment. The Tale of Bygone Years says that this monastery began from the same cave where Hilarion prayed before he was placed on the Kiev Metropolitan Throne. It was in this cave that the Monk Anthony of the Caves settled, near which the community of disciples began to gather. With the blessing of Anthony, the Assumption Church and monastic cells were built, the monastery was surrounded by a fence. During the years of the abbess of the Monk Theodosius, the construction of the stone Assumption Cathedral of the monastery began. Theodosius, according to his Life, compiled by the Monk Nestor the Chronicler, was distinguished by special asceticism and demanded unconditional obedience from the monks. In the monastery, he introduced the Studian Rule. The veneration of Theodosius began shortly after his death, even earlier than the veneration of his teacher St. Anthony. Both saints entered the history of the Russian Church as the founders of monasticism in Russia. The influence of the Monks Anthony and Theodosius and the monastery founded by them in the period between the last third of the 11th and the first third of the 13th century was enormous. Monks from the Kiev-Pechersk monastery were placed on episcopal chairs in many cities of Russia. Without exception, all the cathedrals in the dioceses that arose during this period - in Rostov, Vladimir-Volynsky, Turov, Galich, Ryazan, Vladimir-on-Klyazma - were dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, like the cathedral of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Kiev princes often turned to the Caves abbots for help, who played a significant role not only in religious, but also in political life country. The Caves Monastery, in addition, became the most important center of chronicle writing. In the history of Russia, the 12th century was a time of feudal fragmentation, when internal politics was determined by the confrontation of the specific princes. During this period, the role of the Kiev Metropolitan increases as the only person whose jurisdiction extends to the entire Russian land: It is no coincidence that, approximately from the middle of the 12th century, the metropolitans were titled “Kiev and All Russia”. At the same time, most of the Kiev metropolitans of this period were Greeks, who were not always oriented in the complex vicissitudes of Russian political and church life. In those cases when a native of Russia became a metropolitan on the prince's initiative, Constantinople, as a rule, vigorously protested. The mood caused by the complex relationship with Constantinople, however, did not prevent the further strengthening of Orthodoxy in Russia, an increase in the number of episcopal sees. By the beginning of the 13th century there were already about fifty of them. It was from Kiev, which the chroniclers called "the mother of Russian cities", that the history of Russian temple building began. The first Russian churches were built by Byzantine architects or by Byzantine models. Already under Prince Vladimir, the first cross-domed churches appeared in Kiev, including the famous Church of the Mother of God, which received the name Tithes because Vladimir allocated a tenth of his treasury for its maintenance. By the end of Vladimir's reign there were about 400 churches in Kiev alone. Under Yaroslav the Wise in large cities Kievan Rus majestic cross-domed churches appear. Among them are St. Sophia Cathedrals in Kiev, Novgorod and Polotsk. Kiev Sophia Cathedral is a masterpiece of Byzantine and Old Russian architecture. Built by Constantinople architects with the participation of Kiev masters, it has no direct analogues in Byzantine architecture. The cathedral is a cross-domed church with thirteen domes; The inner space of the temple is divided into 5 naves with 5 apses. From the northern, western and southern sides, the temple is surrounded by two-tiered galleries. Inside the walls of the temple are decorated with mosaics made from multi-colored smalt cubes and painted with frescoes made with water-based paints. The total volume of mosaics is 260 square meters, frescoes - about 3000 square meters. Intensive temple construction continues under the successors of Yaroslav the Wise in Kiev, as well as in Novgorod, Vladimir-Volynsky, Vladimir-on-Klyazma and other cities of Russia. During the second half of the 11th and in the 12th century, new monumental churches appeared - the Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, the Cathedral of the Mikhailovsky Golden-Domed Monastery in Kiev, the Transfiguration Cathedral of the Mirozhsky Monastery in Pskov, the Assumption and Dmitrievsky - in Vladimir-on-Klyazma. Temples of a more modest size are also masterpieces of Russian architecture, such as, for example, the famous Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, striking in its beauty and perfection of proportions. The temple was built in 1165 under the right-believing Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, who went down in the history of the Church as a temple builder and zealot of piety. Under him, Vladimir on the Klyazma acquired the importance of one of the main political and religious centers of Russia. The importance of Vladimir grew after the troops of the Horde Khan Batu swept through Russia in 1237-1240, devastating everything in their path. During this invasion, which marked the beginning of more than two hundred years of the Mongol-Tatar yoke, many big cities Russia. The Mongols plundered and destroyed churches, killed and took into captivity the clergy and monks. Metropolitan Joseph of Kiev went missing, several bishops died. All Russia conquered by the Mongols was subject to tribute, and over the next two and a half centuries, Russian princes and metropolitans, before taking office, had to travel to the Horde and receive a label (permission) from the khan: without such a label, neither the prince nor the metropolitan could be considered legitimate . The importance of Vladimir continued to grow under the holy noble prince of Novgorod, Kiev and Vladimir Alexander Nevsky, who went down in the history of Russia as one of the outstanding rulers, whose political foresight determined the fate of Russia for decades to come. Saint Alexander was aware of the futility of the struggle against the Mongols and concentrated his efforts on the defense of the northwestern borders of Russia. The time of his reign coincided with the activation of the Catholic knightly orders, acting on the direct orders of the pope. In 1242, the noble prince won a historic victory over the knights of the Livonian Order on the ice of Lake Peipus. In order to achieve peace with the Tatar-Mongols, the holy prince had to make four trips to the Golden Horde. Returning from the fourth trip, he fell ill and, having taken monastic tonsure before his death with the name Alexy, died. When the news of his death reached Vladimir, Metropolitan Kirill of Kiev, who was in Vladimir, went out to the people with the words: “My dear children, the sun of the Russian land has set.” These words reflected the love that the right-believing Prince Alexander Nevsky enjoyed during his lifetime. Soon after his death, his veneration as a saint began, and in the middle of the 16th century he was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Biography

Path to power

Svyatopolk was the nephew of Prince Rostislav. In the late 850s, he became the head of the Principality of Nitra, which was part of Great Moravia. In 867, after the attacks of the Eastern Franks, Rostislav promoted him to the level of overlord, thus hoping to improve the defense capabilities of the state. But due to the increased power of Svyatopolk, Great Moravia was de facto divided into two parts. Both Rostislav and Svyatopolk were forced to repel new invasions in and 869.

In 870, Svyatopolk refused obedience to Rostislav and agreed to the protectorate of the East Frankish kingdom over the Principality of Nitra. In response, Rostislav tried to kill him and restore his power over Nitra. However, Svyatopolk managed to capture Rostislav and hand him over to the Eastern Franks, his long-term enemies. According to the verdict of the court, Rostislav was blinded and later he died in one of the Bavarian monasteries.

In place of Rostislav, the Franks sent their own candidates, Counts Wilhelm II and Engelschalk I, who were supposed to rule the western part of Great Moravia. Svyatopolk, who ruled in the eastern part, himself hoped to take over all power in the state and refused to agree with the East Frankish occupation, for which the Franks imprisoned him along with

So, wherever you look, wherever the Slavs

light shines and good is done, we see the works

Saints Methodius and Cyril.

Saint John (Maximovich) of Shanghai and San Francisco.

Each time, remembering the Great Moravian mission of Saints Cyril and Methodius, one cannot fail to remember the Holy Spirit-led faithful servant of God, the holy prince Rostislav, who, together with the holy brothers, stands at the origins of the spiritual, cultural and political life of the Slavic peoples.

At the beginning of the second half of the 9th century, the Great Moravian state was one of the largest Slavic state formations. Since 846, Prince Rostislav ruled Great Moravia, who enjoyed special fame and courageously guarded the freedom of his people. Burdened by his dependence on the Germans and realizing that the Slavs cannot get rid of the influence of dangerous neighbors on their own, he decided, together with his nephew Svyatopolk, to seek help from those who, and their needs, both spiritual and civil, or rather could help in that same time would not be dangerous.

At that time, Christian preachers from Greece, Wallachia and Germany were already active in Moravia, and Prince Rostislav received holy baptism from one of them. Being enlightened by the light of the Christian faith, the noble prince took care of the spiritual awakening of his people.

At the same time, he perfectly understood that the preaching of Christianity could not be successful if the missionaries replaced its lofty goals with political interests and, moreover, taught the people in a foreign, incomprehensible language.

At first, Prince Rostislav turned with his needs to Pope Nicholas I, who was then on the throne of Rome, but he, being an ally of the German king Louis, did not respond to the request of the prince. Then Rostislav in 862 sends an embassy to the Byzantine Emperor Michael III. In his letter, the prince wrote: “Our people rejected paganism and adopted the Christian law; but we do not have a teacher who would reveal to us the true Christian faith in our native language, so that other countries would follow our example. Therefore, we ask you, sovereign Sovereign, to send us such a bishop and teacher. A good law always comes from you in all countries.

Emperor Michael did not hesitate to answer: the best of the best were sent to the Great Moravian mission - the Thessalonica brothers Cyril and Methodius. They were unusually educated people for their time, ascetics, prayer books, men with rich experience in missionary work. During one of the missions of Saints Cyril and Methodius, significant event: on the way to the Khazars, in Chersonese, they found the relics of the Holy Martyr Clement, Pope of Rome. This saint was converted to Christ by the holy apostle Peter; for preaching the faith of Christ in Rome, he was exiled to Chersonesos. Here, by preaching and miracles, he converted many pagans to the faith, for which he was drowned in the sea. In the very miracle

When the holy brothers acquired the relics, they saw the patronage of the saint and the blessing of their missionary, enlightening activity: they faced difficult trials, and the Providence of God showed a wonderful example of self-sacrifice and patience in the holy martyr.

Cyril and Methodius came to the Great Moravian state through Bulgaria in 863 and handed over to Prince Rostislav

letter from Saint Photius. In it, the patriarch wrote, addressing the prince: “God, who commands every nation to come to the knowledge of the truth and achieve honor highest rank I beheld your faith and efforts. Having arranged this now in our years, He also revealed the writings in your language, which did not exist before, but now exist recently, so that you too may be numbered among the great nations who praise God in their mother tongue. And therefore we sent to you the one to whom they were revealed, a precious and illustrious man, a very learned philosopher. Behold, accept this gift, better and more worthy than all gold, silver, and precious stones, and all transient wealth. Try with him to boldly affirm the cause and seek God with all your heart and not close salvation for the whole people, but in every possible way encourage them so that they do not become lazy, but take the path of truth, so that you, if you lead them with your diligence to the knowledge of God, accept reward both in this life and in the life to come for all souls who believe in Christ our God from now to eternity, and left a bright memory for future generations, like great king Konstantin".

Met with great honor The holy brothers began preaching the Christian faith in the Slavic language, which they learned in their homeland - in Thessalonica. While still at home, Kirill developed the Slavonic alphabet and began translating the main liturgical books into Slavonic. Here, in Great Moravia, the brothers, together with their disciples, continued the translation of the Bible, the Liturgies of St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great, and the most important divine services. Prince Rostislav rendered all kinds of assistance to the brothers. First of all, he gathered many youths and ordered them to learn the Slavic alphabet from the translated books, then, under the guidance of the holy brothers, he began to build churches. A year later, the first church in the city of Olomouc was already completed, and then several more churches were built. Saints Cyril and Methodius consecrated these churches and served there in the Slavic way. Thus they lived in Moravia for forty months, moving from one place to another. Their missionary work and example of a holy life found not only the support of the ruler of Moravia, but also a response in the hearts of the common people, who were finally able to hear the good news about Christ in their native language and consciously reject pagan superstitions. “To those who sit in the land and the shadow of death” of paganism, the Thessalonica brothers brought the light of the true faith of Christ.

The successful missionary activity of Saints Cyril and Methodius, supported by the holy prince Rostislav, laid the foundations for the independence of the Great Moravian state, and therefore aroused sharp opposition from the German princes and clergy, who pursued their interests in the Slavic states. The Latin missionaries accused the brothers of using "an unsanctified language" in worship, and of spreading the false doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Saint Cyril entered into polemics with his accusers, proving to them the perniciousness of the "trilingual heresy." The essence of this heresy was the recognition of sacred, worthy of expressing the Holy Scriptures, only three languages ​​in the world: Jewish, Greek and Latin. As justification, the heretics cited the fact that the inscription on the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified was inscribed in these three languages.

Cyril and Methodius intended to send their disciples to Constantinople to be ordained as presbyters and deacons, but at that time a palace coup took place there. Then the holy brothers decided to go to Rome. At that time, with the discord between the Churches of Constantinople and Rome just beginning, one Church could still ordain ministers for the other.

In Rome, the apostles of the Slavs defended the right to serve the liturgy in the Slavic language. At the same time, they paid tribute to the Bishop of Rome, Pope Adrian II, by handing over to him the holy relics of Pope Clement. Having reverently met the honest relics of the holy martyr, the pope respectfully received Slavic books from the enlighteners. Having consecrated the books, he placed them in one of the churches, where a liturgy was served on them. The Pope ordained the disciples of the holy brothers and composed a message to the holy Prince Rostislav: “If anyone dares to censure these teachers and seduce you from the truth to fables, or, corrupting you, blaspheme the books of your language, let him be excommunicated and submitted to the judgment of the church, and until then He will not be forgiven until he is corrected. For these are wolves, not sheep, and one must recognize them by their fruits and beware of them ... ".

After a successful dialogue with Pope Adrian II, the enlighteners intended to return to Moravia. But only one of them managed to return. Saint Cyril died in Rome on February 14, 869, at the forty-second year of his life, having accepted the Great Schema before his death (his name was Constantine in the Lesser Schema). He left a testament to his brother: “We were with you, brother, like a pair of oxen cultivating the same field. And so I fall on the reins, having finished my day. And you love the mountain (Olympus) very much, but do not leave your teachings for the sake of it ... ". Pope Adrian gave orders to bury Saint Cyril in the church of Saint Clement, with whose relics the holy brothers labored in preaching the Gospel and came to Rome. Soon, Pope Adrian ordained Methodius to the rank of Archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia.

Meanwhile, the political situation in Moravia was not stable. Prince Rostislav continued the struggle for the independence of his state: by the end of 869, a peace treaty was concluded with the Germans. However, the peace was short-lived. The nephew of Prince Rostislav Svyatopolk, who was a specific prince of one of the Moravian regions, betrayed his uncle and became an ally of the German prince Carloman, son of King Louis. Rostislav was captured, and his power was in the complete power of Carloman. Svyatopolk was given a small principality, but then the principality was taken away, and Svyatopolk was imprisoned.

The Holy Prince Rostislav drank the cup of suffering intended for him by the Lord: for his love for his people and fidelity to the apostolic teaching, he was blinded and imprisoned. In 870, having endured terrible torments, the faithful servant of God died in one of the Bavarian prisons.

St. Methodius, deprived of political support, was arrested by the German authorities. So without finding a pretext for condemnation, they imprisoned him in a monastery. The monastery memorial book has been preserved, where, along with the names of the inhabitants, the name of Methodius is also mentioned. The conclusion of the saint in the monastery was hidden from the pope. Having learned about this from the wandering monk Lazarus, Pope John VIII, the successor of Adrian II, forbade the German bishops to celebrate the Liturgy until they released Saint Methodius. Only then were the bishops forced to release the saint from imprisonment.

Having undermined his health, Saint Methodius left for Byzantium for a while. In 884, he returned to Moravia and, together with his students, completed the translation of the entire Old Testament, except for the books of Maccabees, as well as the Nomocanon and patristic books (Paterik). In 885, Saint Methodius fell into bed due to hard labors and on Palm Sunday asked to be carried to the church, where he preached to the Moravian people, warning of imminent trials. On the same day, April 6, Saint Methodius died. The funeral service was performed in the cathedral church of Velegrad in Latin, Greek and Slavic.

In 870, under the leadership of the priest Slavomir, an uprising broke out in Moravia. Slavomir defeated the Germans and occupied Velegrad. The Germans released Svyatopolk from prison to suppress the uprising. However, Svyatopolk went over to the side of the rebels, who proclaimed him the Grand Duke. Once again coming to power, Svyatopolk began to patronize Slavic worship.

* * *

The noble prince Rostislav labored together with Saint Cyril, suffered together with Saint Methodius, and died for his people and the right teaching of Christ. Those who later seized the Great Moravian lands tried very hard to ensure that the holy life of Rostislav and the apostolic work of the Thessalonica brothers invited by him were forever forgotten. After the death of their teacher, the disciples and followers of Saint Methodius were subjected to torture and persecution. But by God's Providence their lives were preserved for the future blessed apostolic mission among the southern and eastern Slavs.

The Orthodox Church in the Czech lands and Slovakia canonized Moravian prince Rostislav in 1994, thereby returning the thousand-year debt of memory to the one who stood at the origins of Christian spiritual culture and the national independence of the Slavs.

Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius

Troparion, tone 4

As an apostle of like-mindedness and the Slovenian countries, the teacher, Cyril and Methodius of God-wisdom, pray to the Lord of all, affirm all the Slovenian languages ​​\u200b\u200bin Orthodoxy and like-mindedness, pacify the world and save our souls.

Kontakion, tone 3

We will honor the sacred pair of our enlighteners, who have exuded divine scriptures as a source of knowledge of God to us, from worthless even to this day, we are not scantly drawing, we bless you, Cyril and Methodius, the Throne of the Most High and the warmth of those who pray for our souls.

Prayer

About the glorification of the language of the Slovenian teacher and enlightener, the saints of the Apostles Methodius and Cyril! To you, as a child to the father, with the light of your teachings and writings of enlightenment and in the faith of Christ, we now diligently resort and pray in contrition of our hearts. If only your covenant, like a disobedient child, not a keeper, and about pleasing God, as if clean, careless, and from like-mindedness and love, more like Slovenian, like brothers in faith and according to the flesh, you bequeath good, otpadoh. Both, as of old in your life, the ungrateful and unworthy do not turn away vanity, but reward the good for evil. So now do not turn away the sinful and unworthy children of your prayers, but as if you have great boldness to the Lord, diligently pray to Him, may he guide and turn us on the path of salvation, but strife and contention, arising among brothers of the same faith, will die, fall away packs will lead to unanimity and unite us all by unity of spirit and love in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. Vemy bo, vemy, how much can the prayer of the righteous to the mercy of the Lord, if it is brought about sinful people. Do not leave us, then, your dull and unworthy children, their sin for the sake of your flock, gathered by you, divided by enmity and temptations from infidels deceived, diminished, but her verbal sheep, scattered from mental wolves, admire. Give us zeal for Orthodoxy with your prayers, so that we kindle the fatherly traditions with it, we will keep the charters and customs of the church faithfully, we will sweat, we will run away from all false teachings, and, so in a God-pleasing life on earth prospering, we will be honored with the life of paradise in heaven, and there with you together, let us glorify the Lord of all in the Trinity of the One God forever and ever. Amen.

Saint Rostislav of Moravia

Troparion, tone 7

The first in the princes of your people, inspired by God, desired you to evade idolatry, in right faith know the living God, Who cares for His people. Wise teachers called to the triumph of faith, even having opened the precious pearl of eternal life, Prince Rostislav of Moravia, blessed were you by Saints Cyril and Methodius, who had great love for the people of Yavish, who taught him true worship of God. On this stone of faith thou art adorned with a pious life. And now in the abodes of the Heavenly Father pray for us, that the Lord save our souls.

Kontakion, tone 4

Having loved God with all your heart and soul, you worked with your people to serve them in reverence and truth throughout your life, carrying out a spiritual feat. And you called the wise teachers from the God-saved Konstantinov City, even your people taught the law of God and holy scripture, assisting God. From the Hellenic words to Slovenian, I completely changed, I learned their letters. In them, we, having affirmed God, offer thanksgiving, as if we were not in ignorance, but understand, even God is pleasing to the essence, and how to save our souls, endless life, even in heaven, receive your prayers, Prince Rostislav, and in the Orthodox Church bright We praise your memory.

Based on materials from the publication: Saints of the Czech Lands and Slovakia. - M. Publishing house of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, "The Ark", 2003. - 64 p.

Icons of Saints Cyril and Methodius and the holy noble Prince Rostislav of Great Moravia are kept in our Church of Saint Nicholas in Kotelniki.

Rostislav, Prince of Moravia

(846-869) - one of the prominent historical figures Slavs, who waged a relentless struggle with the Germans for the independence of Moravia. He called in 862 the Slavic apostles, sv. Methodius and Cyril, for preaching in his possessions in the Slavic language (“The teacher is not an imam such as we would have said the true Christian faith in our own language,” his ambassadors said to the Byzantine emperor Michael; see the Pannonian life of Constantine the philosopher). In this way, R. wanted to get rid of the Germans and in church terms. Perhaps he had in mind some other, broader political goals, since the Frankish state at that time was a common enemy for Byzantium and Moravia (see Moravia).

encyclopedic Dictionary F. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron. - St. Petersburg: Brockhaus-Efron. 1890-1907 .

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- (846 869) one of the prominent historical figures of the Slavs, who fought tirelessly against the Germans for the independence of Moravia. He called in 862 the Slavic apostles, sv. Methodius and Cyril, for preaching in his possessions in the Slavic language (Teachers ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

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November 9th 2014 -

Rostislav was the nephew of Mojmir I. In 846, King Louis II of Germany of the East Frankish kingdom succeeded in placing him on the throne as Mojmir's heir.

Louis considered Rostislav his vassal and proceeded from the fact that the latter would represent the interests of the East Frankish kingdom in Central Europe. While Louis was busy fighting against his relatives, Rostislav expanded and strengthened his state. On his initiative, fortresses were built, alliances were concluded with the Bulgarian kingdom and the Byzantine Empire.
Beginning in 850, Rostislav broke off close relations with the East Frankish kingdom and provided asylum to the opponents of Louis II of Germany. Among them were high-ranking dignitaries of the king, as well as, temporarily, his sons Carloman and Louis. Rostislav expelled the Bavarian priests from Great Moravia and annexed the lands between the Danube and the Dyja to his state (according to some sources, this happened, however, already in 791).

In 855, the army of Louis II invaded Great Moravia and moved towards the fortress of Rostislav, most likely in today's Devin suburb of Bratislava. Near it, the Moravians launched a successful attack on the army of Louis II. The Moravians pursued the Franks to the Danube and ravaged the borderlands of Bavaria. In 858, Rostislav entered into an alliance with Louis's son Carloman. For this, he received lands in today's Hungary (around Pilisvörösvár), which he annexed to Great Moravia. In 861, the army of Carloman, supported by Rostislav, fought against Louis II and his ally Pribina, who died in this struggle. After that, the son of Pribina, who went over to the side of Rostislav, became the ruler of the Blaten principality.

Louis the German continued to threaten Great Moravia by making an alliance with the Bulgarians.

By this time, Christian preachers from Greece, Wallachia and Germany were already operating on the territory of the Veliko-Moravian state. From one of these missionaries, Saint Rostislav received baptism and decided to lead all his people to the light of the Christian faith. However, the prince understood that the preaching of Christianity could be successful only if the missionaries addressed the people in their native language. He also feared the political connections of the German missionaries, who were backed by the German states who wanted to subdue the Slavs.

Saint Rostislav first turned to the Pope with a request to send missionaries who would know the Slavic language and could resist the politically charged German mission. But Pope Nicholas I, who was then on the throne of Rome, was an ally of the German king Louis and therefore did not satisfy the request of the prince. Then Rostislav in 862 sent an embassy to the Byzantine Emperor Michael III. In his letter, the prince wrote:

Our people have rejected paganism and contain the Christian law. Only we do not have such a teacher who would explain the faith of Christ to us in our native language. Other countries (Slavic), seeing this, will wish to follow us. In view of this, Vladyka, send us such a bishop and teacher, because from you a good law comes to all countries.

However, the Pope did not accept Rostislav's ambassadors. In 861 and 862, Rostislav sent new ambassadors, this time to Byzantium to Emperor Michael III, asking for teachers, priests or a bishop who would lay the foundation for his own church government in his state. Michael III granted the request of Rostislav and sent Cyril and Methodius to the Moravians. Their missionary activity was of fundamental importance for the cultural development not only of Great Moravia, but of the whole of Eastern Europe. In Moravia, Cyril and Methodius, having discovered that the locals did not have their own written language, invented the Glagolitic alphabet. They translated church books from Greek into Slavonic, taught the Slavs how to read, write and conduct divine services in Slavonic.

In 864, Louis the German again invaded Great Moravia and surrounded Rostislav in the fortress of Devin. Rostislav was forced to submit to the East Frankish kingdom and allow the return of the East Frankish priests. However, a year later, Rostislav again rebelled against Louis, and the mission of Cyril and Methodius continued. The brothers stayed in Moravia for over three years, after which they were summoned to Rome, where many considered worship in the national languages ​​​​of the "barbarian" peoples of Europe to be sacrilege. However, the Pope eventually supported their mission. In 868, Methodius and his three disciples Gorazd, Clement and Naum were elevated to the priesthood by the Pope. Saint Cyril died in Rome, and Methodius subsequently returned to Moravia to continue teaching at the Great Moravian Academy.

After another, this time unsuccessful, attack by the Eastern Franks, Rostislav handed over the Principality of Nitra to his nephew Svyatopolk. In practice, it came to the division of Great Moravia into two parts. Both Rostislav and Svyatopolk were forced to defend themselves against new invasions of Louis the German, who in 869 again reached the fortress of Rostislav and again could not take it.

Around the same time, the Pope of Rome appointed Methodius, who returned to Great Moravia, Archbishop of Pannonia and Great Moravia, freeing him from church dependence on the Bavarian bishopric. In Great Moravia, the first Slavic archbishopric arose, headed by Methodius.
In 870, Svyatopolk entered into an alliance with the East Frankish kingdom and recognized its supremacy over the Principality of Nitra. Rostislav reacted with a failed attempt to kill his nephew. In response, Svyatopolk managed to capture Rostislav and subsequently hand him over to the Eastern Franks. Rostislav was convicted and sentenced to blindness. Together with Methodius, who in the spring of 870 was captured on the way from Rome to Great Moravia by order of the Bavarian bishops, he was kept in the Bavarian monasteries, where he later died. After the death of Rostislav, a struggle for power began in Great Moravia. Claims to the throne were put forward by Svyatopolk, who eventually defeated the candidates of Louis, the East Frankish margraves Wilhelm II and Engelschalk I

Although this period of German rule did not last long, and having established himself on the throne, Svyatopolk again began to patronize Slavic worship, St. Rostislav was not destined to see the liberation of his state. He died in German captivity in 870.

The rapid destruction of the Great Moravian state and the establishment of German and Roman Catholic influence in the homeland of the holy prince delayed the glorification of his holy works for many centuries. It took place only after the Orthodox Church resurrected in the Czech and Slovak lands in the 20th century. The decision to canonize Saint Rostislav was made at the Local Council Orthodox Church Czech lands and Slovakia in December 1992, but the canonization itself took place in 1994. Celebrations on this occasion were held on October 29, 1994 in Presov and on October 30 of the same year in Brno. The day of memory of the saint was established in the Czechoslovak Church on October 28.

“Our people rejected paganism and accepted the Christian law; but we do not have such a teacher who would reveal to us the true Christian faith in our native language ... ”- with these words, in 862, Prince Rostislav of Moravia addressed the Byzantine emperor Michael the Third. The answer to this request of the prince was the arrival of the brothers Cyril and Methodius in Great Moravia.

In the middle of the ninth century, the Great Moravian state was one of the largest Slavic state formations. Moravia included the territories of modern Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, as well as the southeast of Poland and part of Ukraine.

Prince Rostislav ascended the Moravian throne in 846. By this time, Christian preachers from Greece and Germany were already active in the Moravian land. From one of these missionaries, Saint Rostislav received baptism and decided to lead all his people to the light of the Christian faith. However, the prince understood that the preaching of Christianity could be successful only if the missionaries addressed the people in their native language. The preachers who came from the German lands did not know the Slavic language and performed services in Latin.

Prince Rostislav first turned to the Pope with a request to send missionaries who knew the Slavic language. But the Vatican did not respond to the request of the Moravian prince. Then Rostislav turned to Byzantium. With the blessing of Patriarch Photius, the best preachers who knew the Slavic language, brothers Cyril and Methodius, went to the Moravian lands. These were educated people, ascetics, prayer books, with rich experience in missionary work.

In Moravia, Cyril and Methodius discovered that the locals did not have their own written language and invented the first Slavic alphabet - Glagolitic. Then the brothers took up the translation of liturgical books into Slavonic and teaching.

Prince Rostislav of Moravia became not only the initiator of the Orthodox mission in Moravia, but also the main intercessor of the preachers. Latin missionaries stood up in strong opposition to the activities of the holy brothers. They acted in the interests of the German princes who claimed the lands of Moravia.

Until the end of his reign, Prince Rostislav supported the activities of Orthodox missionaries and defended Moravia from German influence. During the years of his reign, Rostislav laid the foundation for the cultural development not only of Great Moravia, but of the whole of Eastern Europe. But the prince could not maintain the political independence of his state. In 870, Rostislav the Great Moravian was captured by the Franks, convicted and sentenced to blindness. Last years Rostislav spent his life in captivity in one of the Bavarian monasteries.

The decision to canonize Saint Rostislav was made at the Local Council of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia in 1992, and the canonization itself and the celebrations on their occasion took place in the autumn of 1994.