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Cyril and Methodius Heritage
Czech Republic
Living Cultural Heritage
The core of the Cyrillo-Methodian legacy lies in Moravia, where the first Slavic school was established in the 9th century. Sites like Mikulčice and Staré Město were centers of administration and learning, while Velehrad became a symbol of this tradition’s continuity. The brothers introduced Old Church Slavonic as a liturgical language and laid the foundations of Slavic law. Their mission’s legacy influenced Czech culture and statehood for many centuries.
Archaeological locality "Na Díle" Modrá
The uncovered foundations of the church, discovered in 1911, are the subject of controversy among historians. Some believe that the church was built during the Iro-Scottish missions, before the arrival of Cyril and Methodius in the first half of the 9th century. The other part considers it to be a church of the Cyril and Methodius period. The hypothetical form is represented by the reconstruction of the entire church building.
Archaeological Open-Air Museum Modrá
It represents a fortified settlement from the time of Great Moravia (9th century) with walls, dwellings, workshops, farm buildings and palaces of princes and bishops built on the basis of real archaeological findings. The open-air museum lives by everyday life, educational performances, programs, experimental smelting of metals, production of ceramics, agricultural production and constantly carried out archaeological research.
Archaeological site "At Špitálky"
This important polycultural locality hides not only the negatives of the foundations of the Great Moravian temple, but also traces of a much older settlement – the culture of ashtray fields with corded pottery or the culture with Moravian painted pottery dating back to the younger Stone Age. The site of the national cultural monument “Špitálky” is located on the so-called Velehrad promontory and forms the south-western part of the Staré Město, which was established after 1918.
Archeopark Chotěbuz-Podobora
In the local forests, on the elevated hill, there was a fortified settlement, which was once protected on one side by the Olše River and on the other side by a moat and steep slopes. The fortified seat was first built here in the late Bronze Age and older Iron Age. A few hundred years later, it was replaced at the same place by a fenced early medieval Slavic fortified settlement, the approximate appearance of which is being reconstructed by today’s Archeopark.
Benedictine Monastery Rajhrad
There used to be a large fortified Great Moravian settlement called Rajhrad on the location of today’s monastery grounds. The monastery is one of the oldest and most famous monasteries in Moravia. The monastery has long served as a center of culture and education. Today you can visit the abbey church of Saints Peter and Paul and the Monument of Literature in Moravia with a historical library. The permanent exposition presents Moravian literature during the last ten centuries.
Chapel of St. Cyril and Methodius, Radhošť
The brick, shingled chapel of Saints Cyril and Methodius adorns the 1129 m high Radhošt’ mountain. Together with the Pustevny Mountains and the statue of the pagan god Radegast, it forms a trio of monuments visited not only by people from Bohemia but also from abroad. The foundation stone was consecrated in 1896 and two years later the finished work was consecrated by the Archbishop of Olomouc, Theodor Kohn.
Castle Hradec nad Moravicí
The State Castle Hradec nad Moravicí became a national cultural monument in 2002. It is a popular tourist destination and a cultural and social centre of the Opava region. The White Castle offers visitors two sightseeing tours, a separate historical exhibition and a picture gallery. The main tour also leads through the restored northern wing of the White Castle with the reconstructed seven rooms of the prince’s apartment. The complex includes the neo-Gothic Red Castle and the White Tower.
Hillfort Staré Zámky, Brno-Líšeň
Staré Zámky Hillfort is located on a rock promontory surrounded by the Říčka stream about 1.5 km northeast of the city part of Brno-Líšeň and is currently an archaeological monument reserve . The prehistoric hillfort was inhabited in the Younger Stone Age, the Older Iron Age and the Celtic Age. It was later restored during the Great Moravian Empire (830-906), when a fortified settlement stood here, which became the administrative centre of the Brno area.
Memorial of Great Moravia - Cyril and Methodius Centre
The Memorial of Great Moravia – Cyril and Methodius Centre in Staré Město introduces visitors to archaeological findings from the region and the life of the Slavs. Its first part was built in the 1960s over the foundations of a Great Moravian church with a large burial site. Visitors will see replicas of period clothing, shoes, rare jewellery, working tools and other finds from archaeological excavations.
Pilgrimage Site Křtiny
An important monument of Baroque architecture, a place of pilgrimage with the Church of the Virgin Mary designed by Jan Blažej Santini. It is Santini’s largest building on the ground plan of a Greek cross. The complex is masterfully set in the landscape. One of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Moravia. The whole area consists of the church, ambits and St. Anne’s Chapel. This complex, together with the parish buildings and the chateau, is located in the middle of the village of Křtiny.
Place of Pilgrimage, Velehrad
Velehrad is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the Czech Republic. The pride of the parish is the Baroque basilica with the adjacent buildings of the former Cistercian monastery. The history of this place began more than 800 years ago. In 1927 the local church was granted the title and privileges of basilica minor. Thousands of pilgrims have been coming to Velehrad for centuries, and Pope John Paul II joined them in 1990. Velehrad is an important spiritual centre, a place of frequent church pilgrimages, gatherings and Cyril and Methodius celebrations.
Pohansko Hillfort, Břeclav
The Pohansko archaeological museum complements the exhibition in the castle, which presents the life of the ancient Slavs from the perspective of the latest archaeological findings. Outside there are replicas depicting the Great Moravian cult, production and residential area. Pohansko was an important center of power in the period of Great Moravia, which was probably ingeniously located at the crossing of the river Dyje, with more functions.
Saint Clement Hillfort
The hillfort on the hill of St. Clement was known in prehistoric times, archaeological excavations have shown a settlement lasting from the 9th century to the end of the 15th century. The conveniently situated and well-protected location on the old trade route that connected Pomerania with Brno was already used by settlers during the Great Moravian Empire (9th century). According to later tradition, they even built a church here, where the relics of St. Clement were kept.
Saint Hypolit Hillfort
Hradiště is a place with more than a thousand years of history. It offers valuable architectural monuments, beautiful nature, breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside and in summer also a visit to archaeological excavations. The local part of Znojmo, called Hradiště, is situated on a high rock promontory above the Dyje River, within sight of Znojmo Castle and the famous St. Catherine’s Rotunda. It lies on the border of the Podyjí National Park.
Slavic Hillfort Mikulčice
The Slavic Hillfort in Mikulčice is undoubtedly one of the most important sites related to the early history of our state. It was one of the most impressive fortified settlements of Great Moravia. In its time, the Mikulčice hillfort was a water castle, which was surrounded by the rugged arms of the Morava River. It is a place whose life ended more than a thousand years ago and has preserved its secrets until the 20th century, undisturbed by other historical events.
Staré Město near Uherské Hradiště
Several agricultural and artisan settlements were established in the area of today’s Staré Město as early as the 6th century. The best known are the Na Valách settlement and the Na Špitálkách settlement. In the vicinity of the churches of St. Michael and St. Vitus, the foundations of four Great Moravian churches with burial sites have been found and specialised craft workshops from the 9th to 10th centuries have been uncovered. The Cyril and Methodius Centre was recently opened here as part of the Great Moravia Memorial.
St. Methodius Height, Uherské Hradiště
An archaeological site of cultural significance, which contains the relics of a set of Great Moravian sacral buildings built in the 9th century. This area is also the place where the activity of Cyril (Constantine) and Methodius of Thessaloniki is often placed. The Great Moravian complex in Sady has been protected as a cultural monument since 1963 and as a National Cultural Monument since 1969. The site is freely accessible, equipped with information boards.
Cathedral of St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas, and St. Adalbert in the Prague Castle
Metropolinan Cathedral, a prominent example of Gothic architecture; UNESCO heritage site houses plenty of masterpieces of art, dedicated to SS Cyril and Methodius stone bas reliefs – of Cyril and Methodius in the lunettes of the Cathedral Cyril and Methodius relief on wooden gates inside of the Cathedral, 20th century 2 statues – of St. Cyril by Václav Levý, 1870 and of St. Methodius by Josef Václav Myslbek, 1870 in the Chapel of St. John the Forerunner Scenes from the life of St. Methodius and St. Cyril on stained glass window by Alphonse Mucha from the thirties of the 20th century. “St. Methodius baptizes St. Ludmilla”, Bronze statue by Karel Pokorny, 1933.
Emauzy, the abbey church of the Virgin Mary, St. Jerome and Slavic patrons
The monastery was founded on November 21st, 1347, by King and later Emperor Charles IV. Also, to the Virgin Mary, he chose St. Adalbert and Procopius, SS Cyril and Methodius, and Jerome (who was then thought to be the author of the Slavic script). He invited Croatian monks to the monastery, who served the Roman liturgy in Slavonic and used the Glagolitic script.
Chappel of SS Cyril & Methodius and folklore feast “Cirilovo”, Sunger, Mrkopalj
The Sunger village is located in the municipality of Merkopal in Gorski Kotar, in the mountainous region in Nord-west Croatia, famous with ski resorts, woods, and caves. The Chapel was built and dedicated to Cyril and Methodius in 1863 thousand years after the Moravian Mission was celebrated. Since then, the two Slavic saints are patrons not only of the village church but also of the community of Sunger.
Klášťov Hillfort
On the highest peak of the Vizovice Hills (754 m above sea level) lies the highest Moravian hillfort – Klášťov. The hillfort was built here in the late Bronze Age. The function of the hillfort as an important fortified center in the Great Moravian period was also documented. The mountain probably served to ceremonial purposes…
Wenceslas Cathedral Olomouc
St. Wenceslas Cathedral owns: a golden reliquary of St. Cyril and a reliquary and a calix with the names of SS Cyril and Methodius – the artifacts could be the point for an itinerary on the theme relicts of SS Cyril and Methodius.
Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paulus in Brno
Except the Cathedral of SS Peter and Paulus in Brno (No 20 in the 2018 list) a siteof pedagogical and social value could be accepted in the CM Route: Congregation of the Sisters of St. Cyril and Methodius. The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Cyril and Methodius (SCM) is a religious institute of papal law (confirmed by decree on June 25, 1976).
Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius in the Karlín district of Prague
Its foundation stone was laid in 1854 in the presence of Emperor Francis Joseph I, a tribute to the support of the Habsburg monarchy by the First Congress of Panslav in Prague as a political formation that is most likely to protect the peoples of Central Europe.