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Cyril and Methodius Heritage
Italy
Living Cultural Heritage
In Italy, specifically in Rome, the Cyrillo-Methodian mission reached its highest diplomatic recognition. Here, the Pope approved the use of the Slavic language in liturgy, a revolutionary step for that time. The tomb of Saint Cyril, who died in Rome in 869, is located in the Basilica of Saint Clement. The country thus symbolizes the union of Slavic culture with the Western Christian world and the recognition of the equality of national languages.
Archaeological areas of Aquileia
Aquileia is an ancient Roman city in Italy, at the head of the Adriatic at the edge of the lagoons, about 10 kilometres from the sea, on the river Natiso (modern Natisone), the course of which has changed somewhat since Roman times. Today, the city is small (about 3,500 inhabitants), but it was large and prominent in classical antiquity as one of the world’s largest cities with a population of 100,000 in the 2nd century AD and is one of the main archaeological sites of northern Italy.
The Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome
The Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is the most breathtaking early Christian Basilica in Rome, which has become an important destination for pilgrims from all over the world. It is the most ancient Roman shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the Western World. In this Basilica in 867, Pope Hadrian II., in the presence of Saints Cyril and Methodius, he placed Slavic liturgical books on the main altar and approved and permitted their use. You can admire the fresco of Cyril and Methodius.
Basilica of San Clemente, Rome
Basilica of San Clemente is just a few steps from the Colosseum, which hides treasures. Saints Cyril and Methodius brought the remains of Saint Clement to this church. One of the oldest churches in Rome, where St. Cyril found his final resting place. The complex consists of three historic buildings. Cyril’s tomb can be seen on the site of the original 4th-century Christian temple. The tomb has inscriptions in several languages, expressing gratitude to Cyril for his missionary work.
Basilica of Santa Prassede, Rome
The Basilica is the titular church in Rome near the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. The church is famous for its early medieval mosaics. The church was built by Pope Hadrian I in 780 on the foundations of an older building from the 5th century, where the remains of Saints Praxeda and Pudentiana, who was executed around 165, transfered here. In the adjoining monastery, which was run by Greek monks, during their stay in Rome, St. Cyril and Methodius lived there.
The Patriarchal Basilica, Aquileia
Since december 1998 Unesco world heritage, along with Aquileia, the Basilica Patriarcale has been a place of art, culture and spirituality over the last 1700 years. It was first built after the Edict of Milan ( 313 a.D.), and it was probably one of the most ancient Christian churches of the world; the mosaics covering the two parallel halls ( north and south) date back to that very first period. Soon covered and replaced by other stuctures, they came to light in 1909 only.