Celebrations of the anniversary of the arrival of Cyril and Methodius are just beginning

In 2013, we will commemorate the 1150th anniversary of the arrival of Saints Cyril and Methodius to Great Moravia. This is an important international event. On this occasion various projects have been prepared. On the national level, there will be two international conferences organized in Prague and at Velehrad. "The first one will focus on the state-political importance of Cyril and Methodius in the 9th to 18th centuries; the other one on the importance of the missionaries for the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries," said Jaroslav Šebek from the Institute of History at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.

The conferences are scheduled for spring 2013 and they will be supplemented with a block of exhibitions taking place in Brno, Prague, Olomouc, Zlín and at Velehrad. There are also international contests for children and youth. These are in the fields of literature, history and fine arts. On the regional levels, there are pilgrimages being prepared, as well as other projects, smaller seminars and conferences, exhibitions and social and cultural meetings.

Based on the agreement between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, the nationwide celebrations are also ecumenical. The celebrations will culminate at Mikulčice in the South Moravian region on 25th May within the "Meeting of Cultures", which is organized by the Orthodox Church, and at Velehrad in the Zlín region on 5th July within the "Days of the People of Goodwill", which are traditionally organized by the Roman Catholic Church.

The mutual agreement between the two churches fully acknowledging the Cyrillo-Methodian legacy is a historical moment, which is to point out the unity of Christians in our country on the occasion of the commemoration of one of the most important milestones of our as well as of European history. Both the Slavic Fortified Settlement at Mikulčice and Velehrad are traditional places connected with the Cyrillo-Methodian mission in our country. The holy mass at Mikulčice will be celebrated by a direct successor of Patriarch Photios of Constantinople, who sent the missionaries to Great Moravia - Patriarch of Constantinople, of the New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The presence of Pope Benedict XVI at Velehrad in 2013 is under negotiation.

A unique project is also the preparation of the full-length film, "Cyril and Methodius – The Apostles of the Slavs“, which describes the lives and work of the Slavic missionaries. Its premiere will be in fall 2013.

The aim of the project is to establish general awareness of Cyril and Methodius, the contributions of their mission in the sphere of culture, religion, letters, education and the like. "The celebrations cannot be perceived as purely religious because the missionaries also stood at the beginnings of our statehood. At the same time, the celebrations cannot be either only Czech or Moravian because the Cyrillo-Methodian mission played a role in the history of most Slavic nations," added Prof. Petr Piťha.

News

Press Conference to the Days of the People of Goodwill in Pictures

29. 6. 2013

Press Conference to the Days of the People of Goodwill in Pictures

On Thursday 27th June 2013 at 1 p.m. in the Exposition on the second floor of Baťa's skyscraper a press conference took place on the project of the Days of the People of Goodwill - VELEHRAD 2013, which is the peak of the celebrations of the 1150th anniversary of the arrival of Saints Cyril and Methodius to Great Moravia.

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Building Bridges with Christ: Czechs and Germans - Neighbors

27. 6. 2013

Building Bridges with Christ: Czechs and Germans - Neighbors

In the year when the Czech Republic and Slovakia commemorate the 1150th anniversary of the arrival of the missionaries, Cyril and Methodius, to Great Moravia we should not forget the words of the Blessed Pope John Paul II who pronounced both saint brothers co-patrons of Europe, saying that apart from their merits in the field of culture, they fought for unity of the eastern and western church and showed the right way to unite Europe.

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Official Commemorative Medals Minted on the Occasion of the 1150th Anniversary of the Slavic Mission

25. 6. 2013

Official Commemorative Medals Minted on the Occasion of the 1150th Anniversary of the Slavic Mission

On the occasion of the 1150th anniversary of the Slavic mission to Great Moravia, an official commemorative medal of the Czech Bishops' Conference was minted also in cheap metal (light non-corroding brass) in a plastic capsule.

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Children have Taken the Way of the Two Brothers, Almost 3 Thousand Pictures have Arrived

20. 6. 2013

Children have Taken the Way of the Two Brothers, Almost 3 Thousand Pictures have Arrived

Every year, since 2006, an art contest for children aged 3 to 11 titled "The Way of the Two Brothers" has been announced on the occasion of the Days of the People of Goodwill.

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Invitation to Velehrad Film Seminar

18. 6. 2013

Invitation to Velehrad Film Seminar

Roman Catholic parish Velehrad invites all those interested in film to the Velehrad spiritual film seminar.

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International Conference "EUROPEAN CULTURAL PATH OF SAINTS CYRIL AND METHODIUS"

17. 6. 2013

International Conference "EUROPEAN CULTURAL PATH OF SAINTS CYRIL AND METHODIUS"

ZLÍN, VELEHRAD – Already second international conference on the project titled "European Cultural Path of Saints Cyril and Methodius" will take place in the Velehrad house of Saints Cyril and Methodius on Tuesday 25th June. The Zlín Region, as its organizer, is awaiting some 50 participants from 7 European countries. The conference is going to be a work meeting of national coordinators and partners of the project from countries which have so far agreed to implement the project.

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The Sky at Velehrad will be Decorated with Hundreds of Balloons

14. 6. 2013

The Sky at Velehrad will be Decorated with Hundreds of Balloons

This year's benefit concert "Evening of the People of Goodwill" will begin with an unconventional project called "A Balloon for Help" on Thursday 4th July. On Friday 5th July, on the occasion of the celebrations of the 1150th anniversary of the arrival of Saints Cyril and Methodius to Great Moravia, an organization called Close-by Adoption will send forth some fifteen mission volunteers during the Velehrad pilgrimage. A mass release of balloons will boost this event. Yields from the sale of the balloons will contribute to the cost of the volunteers sent to missions abroad, which amounts to tens of thousands of Czech Korunas per one volunteer.

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Moravian Theater will Launch a World Premiere of an Opera, Libretto was Written by Bishop Hrdlička

13. 6. 2013

Moravian Theater will Launch a World Premiere of an Opera, Libretto was Written by Bishop Hrdlička

The world premiere of an opera by Zdenek Pololáník "Night Full of Light" will be a great event and a more than interesting full stop after this year's season in the Moravian Theater in Olomouc. The libretto to the opera was written by the ordaining bishop of Olomouc, Josef Hrdlička, and the project is taking place under the auspices of Cardinal Dominik Duka and Minister of Foreign Affairs Karel Schwarzenberg.

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News

29. 6. 2013

Press Conference to the Days of the People of Goodwill in Pictures

On Thursday 27th June 2013 at 1 p.m. in the Exposition on the second floor of Baťa's skyscraper a press...

27. 6. 2013

Building Bridges with Christ: Czechs and Germans - Neighbors

In the year when the Czech Republic and Slovakia commemorate the 1150th anniversary of the arrival of the...

25. 6. 2013

Official Commemorative Medals Minted on the Occasion of the 1150th Anniversary of the Slavic Mission

On the occasion of the 1150th anniversary of the Slavic mission to Great Moravia, an official commemorative...

20. 6. 2013

Children have Taken the Way of the Two Brothers, Almost 3 Thousand Pictures have Arrived

Every year, since 2006, an art contest for children aged 3 to 11 titled "The Way of the Two Brothers" has been...

18. 6. 2013

Invitation to Velehrad Film Seminar

Roman Catholic parish Velehrad invites all those interested in film to the Velehrad spiritual film seminar.

17. 6. 2013

International Conference "EUROPEAN CULTURAL PATH OF SAINTS CYRIL AND METHODIUS"

ZLÍN, VELEHRAD – Already second international conference on the project titled "European Cultural Path of...

more news

  • Here are our roots.

    (Blessed John Paul II, 22nd April 1990, Velehrad)

    They wanted to become part of those nations and to share their destiny in everything. Here, in this place, at Velehrad, in Moravia, we can feel the historical legacy of the kingdom in a peculiar way – we can feel even those who became its keepers and guardians.

    (Blessed John Paul II)

  • For us, people of the present age, their apostolate contains even the elocution of the ecumenical appeal, i.e. to build unity again, in a peaceful reconciliation, which later after their deaths was heavily damaged, and in the first place the unity between the East and the West.

    (Blessed John Paul II)

  • Their work is also a very important contribution to the growth of the common Christian roots of Europe, which by their firmness and viability create one of the main contact points, which must be respected by every serious attempt at reunification of our continent in a new and topical way.

    (Blessed John Paul II)

  • The story of both brothers, Cyril and Methodius, is a distinct example of unity.

    Saints Cyril and Methodius contributed, to a great extent, to the building of Europe, not only regarding its Christian religious community but also concerning its civil and cultural unity.

    (Blessed John Paul II)

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