Cyril and Methodius: The Apostles of the Slavs

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• 2013
• 1 hr 45 mins
• Documentary

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This fascinating tale traces the beginnings of Christianity in Great Moravia. Our heroes, the brothers Constantine (latterly Cyril) and Methodius who both went on to be canonized 'The Apostles of Slavs,' as they became known as. The five part television series follows the significant turning point in our history between the years 826-885. The story unfolds with the brothers' most dramatic episodes during their childhood and adolescence in Thessalonica, their fates in Constantinople and the first missionary journeys to Arabia and Kazaks where they, amongst other things, exhume the remains of the martyr and third Pope Clement the first from the sea. Meanwhile we witness Constantine's participation in the struggle of Iconoclasm, which embroiled the whole of the Byzantine Empire. And then there are the wondrous stories of Methodius when he was administrator of (Styrmont), at the time plagued by frequent uprisings. After Prince Rostislav sends his Christian teachers out into Moravia we are treated to the story of how the Slavic scriptures were created, and the translations of the most important books. Once the brothers' grueling journey from Constantinople to Moravia is over the main body of our story begins, the eventful struggle to promote Christianity throughout the Slavic nations, in particular Moravia. During their missionary endeavors the brothers face not only extreme paganism but also find themselves in the midst of the struggle for the introduction of the Slavic liturgy. This is what incurs the Latin speaking priests' wrath, and the vehement displeasure of the East Frankish Empire. Constantine and Methodius go on to found their own school, introduce Slavic literature and propagate Christian ideology. But in the meantime they have to deal with the then rulers, the emperor and the pope in Rome. On top of spreading Christianity and founding an independent Moravian Church, they lay the foundations of the rules of law. The Moravian church's difficult struggle for its very existence carries on beyond the borders of the Moravian lands. Constantine and Methodius want to appoint disciples but first they must defend their work in the face of opposition firstly from the hostile synod in Venice and then the pope in Rome. In Rome they manage to promote Slavic writing and liturgy, and furthermore establish a Moravian diocese. Constantine, seriously ill having suffered from tuberculosis since childhood, dies in Rome leaving his brother to continue the missionary work. He is eventually rewarded for his efforts by being ordained first archbishop of Moravia.