The Bulgarian Embassy in Prague and the Bulgarian Cultural Institute join the traditional celebrations of the life work of the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius in Velehrad, Czech Republic
For the first time outside Prague we exhibit six Bulgarian icons from the beginning of the XX century, donated by the Bulgarian Patriarchate to the Orthodox Church "St. St. Cyril and Methodius" in the Czech capital. The focus of the program is the exhibition "Light of the Letters" of the State Institute of Culture
The Bulgarian Embassy and the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Prague are again among the main partners of the Archdiocese of Olomouc in the traditional celebrations of the work of the first Slavic teachers and co-patrons of Europe St. Cyril and Methodius in Velehrad. Last year, the celebrations were held under very strict restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but now the organizers are admitting worshipers in case they have a negative test or vaccination certificate. In view of this good news, thousands of believers and religious tourists from the Czech Republic and nearby countries are expected visit Velehrad in early July.
It is in the emblematic local basilica "Assumption of the Virgin and Saints Cyril and Methodius" from June 30, for the first time outside the Czech capital, are exhibited the six Bulgarian icons from the early twentieth century of the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius and their students, donated by the Bulgarian Patriarchate "St. St. Cyril and Methodius” in Prague. The valuable collection of icons will remain in the basilica until July 12, as part of the large-scale event "Days of People with Good Will", which is traditionally held on July 4 and 5.
This year's event is dedicated to the work of St. Cyril and St. Methodius and to the efforts of all medics and service personnel working on the front lines during the fight against the coronavirus. Among the main highlights of the program is the exhibition "Light of the Letters", which will be opened from 15:00 on July 4 at the famous Stoyanov High School in Velehrad, which this year celebrates the 170th anniversary of the birth of its patron - Antonin Kiril Stoyan. Today it is a Catholic high school in the monastery complex, a center for young people and scientists from all over Europe. With the exhibition "The Light of the Letters" the Bulgarian Embassy and the Bulgarian Cultural Institute marked the beginning of the celebrations of the Great Moravian Mission of St. Cyril and St. Methodius on May 11 in Prague, which continue in Velehrad. The exposition, created by the "Elena and Ivan Duychevi" Foundation, is provided by the National Cultural Institute and consists of 24 boards with the most valuable Bulgarian medieval manuscripts from the X-XVIII century, as well as texts defining the key meaning of the Slavic alphabet in the history of European culture. All explanatory texts to the panel are in Czech.
After the celebrations in Velehrad, the exhibition "The Light of the Letters" will travel to the regional center of Zlin, where it can be seen by residents and guests of the city until the end of July.
Velehrad is a special place for the Czech Republic because it is one of the most famous spiritual places of worship in Central Europe. The main archbishopric center is and was the residence of St. Methodius in the IX century. Here he served in Slavic, i.e. in Old Bulgarian, and fought the trilingual heresy after being ordained by Pope Adrian II as Archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia in 869. From there he set out for Prague in 884 to Christianize Bohemia. Methodius died in Velehrad in 885 and was probably buried in the old Episcopal Church.
In recent years, Bulgaria has collaborated extremely well with the Archdiocese of Olomouc and with state institutions in the Zlín region. In 2017, again as part of the "Days of People with Good Will", in the Velehrad chapel "St. Kiril” was opened the extremely successful exhibition “Iconography” by Stefka Nikolova. The following year, during her official visit to Velegrad, Bulgarian Vice President Iliana Yotova presented the Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin and Saints Cyril and Methodius “with an icon of the holy brothers, which will be consecrated by the current spiritual leader of the Velehrad parish, Father Petar Prshadka.