Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril (Constantine the Philosopher), Equal-to-the-Apostles, Teacher of the Slavs

Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril, born Constantine, was born in 826/827 in the city of Thessalonica in the family of the military commander Leo Drungarios. From a young age he displayed brilliant abilities for learning, and was educated in Constantinople at court, where the future Patriarch Photius was among his teachers. Having taken the rank of presbyter, he served as librarian at the Hagia Sophia and taught philosophy, earning the epithet "the Philosopher." Together with his older brother, Venerable Methodius, he took part in a mission to the Khazars, and later, at the request of the Moravian prince Rastislav, set out to preach to the Slavic peoples of Great Moravia. For this mission the holy brothers compiled the Slavic alphabet (Glagolitic) and translated the principal liturgical books into Slavonic, laying the foundation for Slavic literacy. In Rome, while defending before Pope Adrian II the right to celebrate services in Slavonic, he fell gravely ill, took the great schema under the name Cyril, and died on February 14, 869. He was buried in the Basilica of St. Clement in Rome. His memory is kept on February 14/27 (repose) and May 11/24 (together with St. Methodius).