KIRIL & METODI - PATRONS OF EUROP

Kiril and Metodij are the founders of the Macedonian literacy. They protected the position's of Christianity, and accepted their mission to Moravia to organise the church and to oppose Germany. For this reason, Kiril created the alphabet "Glagolica" and wrote the necessary church books, which was in the same time the first Macedonian literary language. Kiril and Metodij became the creators of the first Macedonian alphabet. 
Konstantin, Metodij and 10 of their students went to Moravia in 863 in a special mission: to educate Rostislav's people, and to spread Christianity in a understandable language. This meant that in that time, the language of the Macedonian was very similar with the people of Moravia. 
The Macedonian missionary's were greeted by the prince Rostislav with great respect, where soon they succeeded with great achievements to educate the people. Although they educated many people, the German priesthood did not accept the defeat and started to send calumny letters to the Pope in Rome. They attacked the work of the brothers from Solun, and that is why the Pope called Konstantin and Metodij to explain themselves. 
The brothers announced their arrival in Rome, and informed the Pope that they were bringing the bones from the Pope St. Kliment. They were greeted with honour by the Pope and the people, where Konstantin and Metodij succeeded to explain and prove that they were right. The Pope then blessed their liturgy, giving them the right to continue with the work. This was followed by a big liturgy which was held in Rome. 
Till then Konstantin received a priest title, and he became a monarch and as it was customary, change his name to Kiril. 
Meanwhile Kiril became very ill in Rome and before going back to Moravia, he died in 869. His grave can still be found in the church St. Kiril, in the city of Rome.

The Canonization process was much more relaxed in the decades following Cyril's death than today. Cyril was regarded by his disciples as a saint soon after his death. His following spread among the nations he evangelized and subsequently to the wider Christian Church, resulting in the renown of his holiness, along with that of his brother Methodius. There were calls for Cyril's canonization by the crowds lining the Roman streets during his funeral procession. Their first appearance in a papal document is Grande Munus by Leo XIII in 1880. The brothers are known as the "Apostles of the Slavs" and are still highly regarded by both Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians. Sts Cyril and Methodius' feast day is currently celebrated on 14 February in the Roman Catholic Church (to coincide with the date of St Cyril's death); on 11 May in the Eastern Orthodox Church (though note that for Eastern Orthodox Churches still on the Julian Calendar or 'old calendar' this is 24 May according to the Gregorian calendar); and on 7 July according to the old sanctoral calendar that existed before the revisions of the Second Vatican Council. The celebration also commemorates the introduction of literacy and the preaching of the gospels in the Slavonic language by the brothers. The brothers were declared "Patrons of Europe" in 1980.