THE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE OF SAINTS CYRIL AND METHODIUS IN GREECE (THESSALONIKI). PLANS AND PROPOSALS

Abstract

The feast day of Saints Cyril and Methodius in the Liturgical Calendar of the Metropolis of Thessaloniki was first introduced in 1957. Until then a large number of Greek people had been unaware of the important role of the two saints and their accomplishments. Through initiatives (educational programs, workshops, summer schools, seminars and public lectures, broadcasts on radio and television, in newspapers and magazines) a larger part of the Greek population must be informed and made aware of the two Saints. In recent years there has been a tendency to dedicate monuments in memory of the Saints’ work in the city of Thessaloniki (the mosaic monument in the shape of a book on the grounds of the church of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Thessaloniki, the cross of Cyril and Methodius on the New Promenade of the town and the statue of Saints Cyril and Methodius in the Park of Slovakia, etc.). The establishment of the Centre for the Study of the Cultural Heritage of Cyril and Methodius in Thessaloniki (www.kyrillos-methodios.gr) served the need to promote research into the life and work of Saints Cyril and Methodius both in Greece and abroad. Among other publications of the Centre is the publication of the journal Cyrillomethodianum (www.kyrillos-methodios.gr/cyrillomethodianum/).