In what year did the creation of the Slavic alphabet happen? Cyril and Methodius: why is the alphabet named after the youngest of the brothers? Grinevich's work in the study of Slavic writing

On May 24, Russia and other Slavic countries celebrate the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture. On this day the Orthodox Church remembers the founders Slavic alphabet- Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Brothers Cyril and Methodius. And although the brothers were never in Ancient Russia, without the Cyrillic alphabet, the formation of Russian culture and literature would be impossible.

Who were Cyril and Methodius?

Cyril (c. 827-869) received this name when he was tonsured into the schema 50 days before his death in Rome, he lived all his life with the name Constantine, and for his love of philosophy he was called Constantine the Philosopher. Methodius (820-885) - the monastic name of the monk, the worldly name is unknown, presumably his name was Michael.

Monument to Cyril and Methodius on Slavyanskaya Square. Moscow. Sculptor Vyacheslav Klykov. Opened in 1992 Photo: RIA Novosti / Alexander Polyakov

Cyril and Methodius were born in the city of Thessaloniki (Thessaloniki) in Greece, which at that time was part of Byzantium. Their father was a high-ranking military leader.

Cyril from childhood showed interest in the sciences and foreign languages. He received an excellent education at the royal court, where his teacher was the famous Photius, subsequently Patriarch of Constantinople.

At the end of his teaching, Saint Constantine accepted the rank of priest and was appointed curator of the patriarchal library at the church of Saint Sophia, but soon left the capital and secretly retired to a monastery. However, he was tracked down and returned to Constantinople to become a teacher of philosophy in higher education. educational institution Constantinople - court school.

With the help of wisdom and faith, young Constantine defeated the leader in the debate heretic iconoclasts Annius. After this victory, the emperor sent Constantine to dispute about the Holy Trinity with the Saracens (Muslims), where the Philosopher also won.

Meanwhile, the elder brother Methodius, having served ten years as the ruler of one of the provinces, went to the Olympus Monastery in Asia Minor. In the 860s, having renounced the rank of archbishop, he became abbot of the monastery Polychron on the Asian coast of the Sea of Marmara, near the city of Cyzicus. Upon his return from the Saracens, Saint Cyril joined his brother, since he always desired the monastic life.

In 858, the Khazars, who roamed in the southeast of present-day Russia, asked Emperor Michael faith preachers. The emperor sent them the brothers Cyril and Methodius. Their path lay through Korsun (Tauric Chersonese), where the missionaries stopped for a while to study Hebrew. Here they discovered the relics Saint Clement — Pope. They took most of the holy relics with them. But the brothers failed to convert the Khazar Kagan, who professed Judaism, to the Christian faith. Having baptized about 200 Khazars and taking with them the captive Greeks released to freedom, they returned. The elder brother became abbess at the Polychronius Monastery, and the younger brother returned to Constantinople.

How was Slavic writing created?

In 863, the embassy of the ruler Prince Rostislav arrived in Constantinople. The ambassadors asked to send teachers who could preach in the Slavic language. The Byzantine emperor decided to send Cyril and Methodius there.

Christianity was brought to Moravia by Latin missionaries from southern Germany. They held worship services Latin which did not contribute to enlightenment and the spread of Christianity.

Sending the brothers to Moravia, the Byzantine emperor said to Cyril: “I know that you are weak and sick, but there is no one except you to fulfill what they ask. You, and all the Thessalonians speak purely Slavic. “I am weak and sick, but glad to go, on foot and barefoot, ready to die for the Christian faith,” Cyril answered. “Do the Slavs have an alphabet? - he asked. “Learning without the alphabet and without books is like writing a conversation on the water.”

Then St. Cyril began work on the Slavic alphabet, which was based on the Greek alphabet.

There is no consensus among scientists about what kind of alphabet Cyril created - Cyrillic or Glagolitic. In the 10th-11th centuries, the Cyrillic alphabet consisted of 43 letters: 25 were borrowed from the Greek alphabet, and 18 were built relatively independently to convey those missing in Greek sounds of Old Church Slavonic speech.

The Glagolitic alphabet largely coincides with the Cyrillic alphabet. The difference lies in the shape of the letters, which are more difficult to write. Moreover, the origin of such inscriptions remains controversial. The Glagolitic alphabet was common in the 10th-11th centuries in Moravia, Dalmatia and Bulgaria, and existed in Croatia until the 18th century.

Saints Cyril and Methodius. Photo: Public Domain

According to one version, Cyril invented the Glagolitic alphabet, and the Cyrillic alphabet was created by his student Clement of Ohrid at the end of the 9th - beginning of the 10th century in Ancient Bulgaria after this country was baptized.

According to another version, the Glagolitic alphabet was introduced into Moravia at the end of the 10th century by the disciples of Cyril, because the Cyrillic alphabet, which was too similar to the Byzantine script, began to be persecuted by the Western Latin clergy, who competed with the Byzantine missionaries in this region.

Until the 11th-12th centuries, both Cyrillic and Glagolitic were used in parallel. Later, the graphically more advanced Cyrillic replaced the Glagolitic everywhere.

Over time, Slavonic writing and books translated into Slavonic spread from Constantinople throughout the eastern half of the Balkan Peninsula, in the vast Bulgarian state, along the Danube, in modern Hungary, to the outskirts of Poland, the Czech Republic, Croatia and Serbia, and finally to Kyiv and Novgorod. This enlightenment became the source and symbol of Slavic unity.

In those years, the conflict between the Eastern and Western Churches and the struggle for influence were already flaring up. Acting on the territory independent of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, but adjacent to the Roman throne, the Slavic enlighteners had to be extremely careful not to arm the power of Rome against themselves.

The bishops of Germany, who celebrated divine services in Latin in the Moravian churches, rebelled against the holy brothers, arguing that divine services could be celebrated only in one of three languages: Hebrew, Greek or Latin.

Saint Constantine answered them: “You recognize only three languages worthy of glorifying God in them. But David cries out: Sing to the Lord, all the earth; praise the Lord, all nations; let every breath praise the Lord! And in the Holy Gospel it is said: Go and teach all languages...”

The German bishops were disgraced, but became even more embittered and filed a complaint with Pope Nicholas I. To resolve the dispute, the saints went to Rome. They carried with them part of the relics of Equal-to-the-Apostles Clement, Pope of Rome, and the sacred books translated by them.

Pope Nicholas I without waiting for them, he died. His successor, Pope Adrian, who wished to reconcile the Western and Eastern Churches, went out to meet the saints outside the city, accompanied by the clergy and people. The patriarch received the holy relics from Cyril and Methodius and placed them in the church of St. Clement, and consecrated the books translated into Slavonic on the throne of the most ancient Roman basilica, called Mary the Great.
Shortly after arriving in Rome, Cyril fell ill. He bequeathed the continuation of the great work to his brother and died on February 14, 869. Before his death, he said to Methodius: “We are with you, like two oxen; from a heavy burden, one fell, the other must continue on his way.

Saint Methodius fulfilled his brother's will: returning to Moravia already in the rank of archbishop, he preached for 15 years. Saint Methodius died on April 19, 885.

How is the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture celebrated?

In Russia, the celebration was established on May 24, 1863 (May 11, according to the old style). With coming Soviet power The holiday was abolished, but in 1986 it was revived, and since 1991 the Day of Slavic Literature has become a public holiday.

On this day, festivals, concerts and other events are held in Moscow and other Russian cities.

Moravia - historical region Czech Republic to the east of the historical region of the Czech Republic.

Thessalonica is the Slavic name for the city of Thessaloniki (Thessalonica).

The creation of the Slavic alphabet and writing is attributed to the brothers Cyril and Methodius. However, there are hypotheses that before the creation of the Cyrillic alphabet, the Slavs wrote in runes and had their own runic alphabet. The article presents the history of the creation of the alphabet by Cyril and Methodius, lists the surviving monuments of Old Slavonic writing.

It is believed that Slavic writing appeared in the 9th century, its creators are the brothers Cyril and Methodius. At that time, Byzantium was interested in expanding influence Orthodox Church among the Slavic peoples.

In 860, the Moravian prince Rostislav instructed the Byzantine emperor Michael III to translate Christian church books from Greek into Slavonic. The emperor entrusted the creation of the Slavic alphabet to the brothers Cyril and Methodius, Greek monks.

Cyril and Methodius grew up in the Greek city of Thessalonica (modern Thessaloniki). The population of the city was mixed Greek-Slavic, so they spoke both languages well, they also studied other languages and sciences.

The brothers compiled a new alphabet based on the Greek language. Two variants of the Old Slavonic alphabet are known - Glagolitic and Cyrillic, differing in the spelling of letters:

The Cyrillic alphabet consisted of 49 letters - 24 sounds that coincided in both languages were denoted by Greek letters; the alphabet also consisted of 19 sounds characteristic only of the Slavic language - new signs were invented for them.
Also at that time there was a second alphabet - Glagolitic. The writing of the letters in it was more like the Greek alphabet. In Cyrillic and Glagolitic, the designation of numbers also differed. Over time, the Cyrillic alphabet replaced the Glagolitic and spread everywhere.

In 863, Cyril and Methodius brought to Moravia the finished alphabet and the Gospel translated into Slavonic. May 24, 863 is officially considered the date when Slavic writing was created.

In 1918, a decree on a new orthography legalized an alphabet of 33 letters based on the Cyrillic alphabet, the heir of which is our modern Russian script.

We offer you to watch a video about the history of the emergence of Slavic writing:

runic letter

The first hypotheses about the existence of runic writing among the ancient Slavs were made at the beginning of the 20th century. Some of the evidence cited now refers to the Glagolitic script, but a number of arguments in favor of the existence of Slavic runes remain.

Runic writing was used by the Slavs before the creation of the Cyrillic alphabet.

Titmar, describing the temple of Rethra, indicates that runes other than the German ones were applied to the idols, but their exact origin has been established. Massudi also describes similar signs. In his notes on the Slavs, Ibn Fodlan says that they put runic inscriptions on tombstones. Ibn El Nedim gives a drawing of a Slavic inscription carved on a tree.

Archaeologists find fragments of ceramics belonging to the Chernyakhov archaeological culture - traces of inscriptions are distinguishable on the shards, but they are difficult to decipher due to insufficient material. Distinguishable fragments are similar in design to Scandinavian runes.

In Scandinavian sources, Slavic runes are known as "Vendian runes". The letter consisted of runic signs - "devil and cut" - which were applied to wood or clay products. They were used for short inscriptions on:

border posts;
gravestones;
coins;
decorations.

Slavic runes are divided into West Slavic - runes from the temple of Retra, or Vendian runes, and East Slavic - inscriptions found on the territory of Eastern Europe- in the territory from the Dnieper and the Caucasus to the Volga region.

Runic alphabet in Ancient Russia

The ancient Slavs used the runic alphabet not only for writing, it was used in rituals. Runes were applied to the body as amulets, embroidered on clothes and depicted on dwellings. It was believed that they could enhance or soften certain qualities of character.

In their design and interpretation, the runes of the Slavs are somewhat similar to the German alphabet Futhark. Both are based on the Northern Italic Alpine alphabet.

The runic alphabet has 144 characters, each of which denoted a separate letter, word or whole action. Scientists suggest that in total the Slavs used several million runes. To date, 18 runes have been deciphered - they were the most common. Their names:

Alatyr;
Chernobog;
Rainbow;
Need;
Krada;
Treba;
Force;
Wind;
Bereginya;
Lelya;
Support;
Dazhdbog;
Perun;
There is;
Source.

When writing texts, the runes were arranged in a row of 16 characters, in total there were 9 rows. There was also a variant with writing in 32 and 64 characters, where every second character strengthened the meaning of the previous one.

Were Cyril and Methodius the first creators?

In the lives of Saints Cyril and Methodius, written by their students, it is said that even before creating his own alphabet, Cyril traveled to Chersonesus, around the end of the 850s, and brought from there sacred scriptures written in Russian letters.

By that time, the Cyrillic alphabet had not yet been invented, however, there is no reliable information about the origin of these “Rusha letters”.

Catherine II in her notes on Russian history writes that the Slavs had a written language before the chronicler Nestor and the baptism of Russia. But the data on this was lost and not preserved, so it is impossible to recreate the pre-Cyrillic alphabet.

There is still no definite answer to the question of whether the ancient Slavs had written language before the creation of the alphabet by Cyril and Methodius. No source absolutely reliably confirms the existence of more ancient alphabet and writing. There are only arguments in favor of the point of view that the Slavs used runic writing.

Holiday

In Russia, the day of Slavic writing and culture is celebrated on May 24. This day is also dedicated to the memory of Cyril and Methodius.

The Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius began to be celebrated as the Day of Culture and Slavic Writing in Bulgaria in the 19th century, then the tradition spread to other countries.

In Russia, this day received the status of a public holiday in 1991. Divine liturgies and religious processions are held in the churches and cathedrals of the country. Festivals, book fairs and exhibitions are held in honor of the holiday.; The International Scientific Conference "Slavic World: Commonality and Diversity" is timed to this day.

Also on May 24, the awarding of the laureates of the award of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Brothers Cyril and Methodius is held. It is awarded to artists and cultural figures for the preservation and dissemination of the cultural heritage of Cyril and Methodius.

Old Slavonic monuments

It is believed that the Old Church Slavonic language has been preserved in the form of a small number of monuments. They were created within the 10th-11th century. In terms of content, these are most often theological texts written in Cyrillic or Glagolitic on parchments.

Cyrillic monuments:

Dobrujan inscription. The oldest of the inscriptions found - definitely dates back to 943, found in Romania. The tomb inscription is presumably made in Old Bulgarian.
King Samuel's inscription. Dated 993. A slab with a tombstone inscription in 11 lines was found in Macedonia in 1894. Based on the type of letters in this inscription, one can draw conclusions about the approximate dating of other monuments.
Eninsky apostle. Found in the Bulgarian village of Enino. 39 sheets of parchment of the apostle-aprakos in Old Bulgarian. The document is poorly preserved.
Zograph leaflets. Found in the Athos Monastery, where they are currently stored - 2 sheets of parchment with the "Rules" of Basil the Great.
Leaves of Undolsky. An excerpt from the service gospel-aprakos on 2 sheets. Named after the first owner - V.M.Undolsky. Stored in the Russian state library in Moscow.
Savvin's book. Service gospel on 166 pages. Created in Eastern Bulgaria, the lettering matches the inscription of Tsar Samuil. Stored in the Russian state archive ancient acts.
Suprasl manuscript. Contains the March Menaion on 285 parchment sheets. Found in a monastery near Bialystok.
Ostromir Gospel. Manuscript on 294 sheets, written at the beginning of the 11th century. in Novgorod. Stored in the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg.
Hilandar Leaves. Excerpts from the Teachings of Cyril of Jerusalem. Dated to the 11th century, found on Athos, where it is kept.

Glagolitic monuments:

Kyiv leaflets. The oldest Glagolitic monument on 7 sheets, an excerpt from the Catholic Mass.
Zograph Gospel. Found on Athos, written in Macedonia. 304 parchment sheets, some of which were copied in the 12th century.
Mariinsky Gospel. The Four Gospels from the Athos Monastery, 173 leaves, some of the pages are missing.
Klotz collection. Collection of teachings and laudatory words, on 14 sheets.
Assemanian (or Vatican) Gospel. Created in Macedonia, contains 158 sheets.
Sinai Psalter. 177 sheets. Found in Sinai.
Sinai breviary. Collection of prayers, 106 sheets. Located in Sinai in the monastery of St. Catherine.
Ohrid leaflets. 2 sheets.
Macedonian Glagolitic Leaf. An excerpt from the words of Ephraim the Syrian.

The Slavic alphabet was created by the brothers Cyril and Methodius on the basis of the Greek language. The spread of Slavic writing contributed to the strengthening of Christianity. A small number of texts of Old Slavonic writing in Cyrillic and Glagolitic have survived to this day - these are church texts of the 9th-11th centuries.

There are also versions that before the creation of the Slavic alphabet in Cyrillic, the Slavs had their own runic writing. On May 24, Russia celebrates the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture and carry out festive events in honor of Saints Cyril and Methodius.

Where did our alphabet come from? Who doesn't know this! A long time ago, two Bulgarians, Cyril and Methodius, came to Russia and invented the Cyrillic alphabet. But that's not the case! Their names were not Cyril or Methodius at all, they were not born in Bulgaria, they did not come to Russia and did not create the Cyrillic alphabet! Like this? And what happened then? And there were amazing journeys and adventures of the holy brothers, enlighteners of the Slavs. Let's follow their path from the very beginning!

About the time in which Cyril and Methodius lived

In the 9th century, there were two great Christian empires in the vastness of Europe: one was Byzantium with its capital in Constantinople, the other was the Frankish Empire. In 843, it was divided among the heirs of King Charlemagne into several kingdoms. Between these empires stretched lands inhabited mainly by pagan Slavs. By that time official language in Byzantium became Greek, and in the possessions of the Franks - Latin, although in everyday life the inhabitants of all these states used the most different languages.

And what happened in those days on the lands where Russia later arose? Slavic tribes lived there - glades, drevlyans, krivichi, vyatichi and others. The state of the Rus was just in its infancy.

About how the brothers broke up and then met

On the shores of the Aegean Sea lies the Byzantine city of Thessaloniki, or, as the Slavs called it, Thessalonica. Representatives lived in this big city different peoples. There were also a lot of Slavs here, so many people in these places spoke the Slavic language. He was also known in the family of an officer named Leo. The eldest of his seven sons, the strongest and most courageous, was called Michael. The younger, sickly, "big-headed", but very gifted boy, bore the name Konstantin.

The brothers were friends, the elder always took care and protected the younger.

Michael, following the example of his father, chose military career. Soon he achieved great success in his service - he became the head of one of the provinces of Byzantium, where the Slavs lived. For ten years, Michael honestly managed the lands entrusted to him, and then he decided to retire from the world and went to Mount Small Olympus, on the southern coast of the Sea of Marmara. There was a monastery there. Michael took the vows as a monk, taking the name Methodius.

And the younger brother, Konstantin, went to study in Constantinople. There he showed himself so well that he was appointed to help the future Byzantine king, the young heir Michael, in his studies. The most respected teachers of that era instructed the boys in grammar and astronomy, geometry and philosophy, music and arithmetic ... Konstantin studied more than six languages! Including in perfection - Slavic.

Click to listen to the program

The young man refused a profitable marriage, firmly deciding to devote himself to the sciences. Then the Byzantine empress and the Patriarch, wishing to bring Constantine closer to themselves, persuaded him to take the holy orders and become a librarian at the temple. Later, Konstantin became a teacher of philosophy and even received the nickname Philosopher.

The Byzantine king and patriarch greatly appreciated the young scientist, invited him to councils and disputes, where Constantine spoke on an equal footing with the venerable sages. In 852, when the Philosopher was only 24 years old, he was even sent to Samara, the capital of the Arab Caliphate. They sent it because the Arabs often scolded the Christian faith during negotiations with Byzantium. Literate people were needed who could change the opinion of the Arabs about Christianity. Konstantin joined the embassy, and took part in long disputes about faith. In Samara, a young man amazed Arab scholars with reasonable statements and excellent knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. Home, in Constantinople, the Arabs saw him off with honor and generous gifts.

Shortly after his return, Constantine left the capital and went to the Lesser Olympus, to his elder brother Methodius.

Here the brothers are finally reunited after a long separation. They lived together in a monastery, studied the works of the holy fathers, prayed and worked. But their quiet retreat soon ended.

About how Methodius and Constantine went to the Khazars

At that time, ambassadors from the Khazars came to Tsar Michael. This was the name of the people who lived far north of Byzantium, in the Khazar Khaganate, next to the future ancient Russian lands(now it is Dagestan, part of the Crimea, the Don and the Lower Volga region). The Khazars asked to send them wise people that would tell about the teachings of Christ. The Khazar kagan - the supreme ruler, "khan of khans" - chose at that time what faith to accept: Islam, Judaism or Christianity.

Tsar Michael appointed Constantine as an envoy to the Khazars, and he persuaded his brother, a former warrior, to help him on a dangerous and long journey.

The path through the steppes was not easy! The wild tribes of the Ugrians, who, as the chronicler testifies, walked in skins and howled like wolves, attacked the caravans of travelers. According to legend, the robbers also attacked the brothers when they stopped in the steppe for prayer. Konstantin was not frightened, he just kept repeating: “Lord, have mercy!..” When the saint finished his prayer, the fierce Ugrian people suddenly subsided, began to bow to him and ask for teachings. Having received a blessing, the robbers released the monks, and they safely continued on their way.

Constantine and Methodius had an important and lengthy stop on the way to Khazaria in the Crimean city of Khersones, or, in Slavic, Korsun, which is not far from present-day Sevastopol. Preparing for the upcoming mission, the holy brothers continued to study the Khazar and Hebrew languages, and improved in Slavic.

In Chersonese, thanks to Methodius and Constantine, a real miracle happened! In those places, not far from the coast, the relics of the revered Christian Saint Clement, the closest disciple of the Apostle Peter, were hidden in the sea. Clement was executed in Chersonese, in exile, at the very beginning of the 2nd century AD. Cyril and Methodius persuaded the local bishop to find the relics of the saint.

After sunset, the brothers, along with the bishop and many clergy, boarded a ship and set sail for the sea. There they prayed fervently for a long time. At midnight a light suddenly shone from the sea! Holy relics appeared before the astonished priests. They were put on a ship, taken to the city and placed in the Apostolic Church. The brothers took part of the relics with them on a journey, in order to eventually take them to Rome.

From Chersonese, Constantine and Methodius made long way by sea and land, until they reached the Caucasus Mountains, where the kagan, the ruler of Khazaria, was then located.

In the Khan's palace, the brothers were greeted with honor and received a letter from them from Tsar Michael. In long conversations with Muslims, Jews and Khazars, Constantine explained the subtleties of the Christian faith, referring to the Old Testament, to the ancient prophets and forefathers, who were recognized and honored by both Jews and Muslims - Adam, Abraham, Noah, Moses, David, Saul ...

The noble Khazars, who heard the long disputes of Jews, Muslims and Christians, liked the speeches of the young Byzantine preacher Constantine so much that two hundred of them accepted the Christian faith. As a sign of gratitude, the Khazars released more than two hundred Greek captives from the kaganate, along with Methodius and Constantine.

The brothers set out on their way back to Constantinople. The returning envoys were received in the royal palace with triumph, as real apostles.

Methodius became abbot of the Polychronius Monastery on the Small Olympus, and Constantine settled at the church. Again, their rest was short.

About letters for Great Moravia

Great Moravia (now it is the territory of the Czech Republic) was baptized by German missionaries long ago. They also translated into Slavonic, but they translated only the most necessary prayers and teachings for the parishioners. In the churches, the believers heard only Latin, did not understand it, and therefore the German priests could explain the Christian doctrine to them in the way they wanted. It was still impossible for illiterate peasants to check whether they were telling the truth.

In 862, the Moravian prince Rostislav turned to Tsar Michael: “Our people rejected paganism and adopted the Christian law. Only we do not have such a teacher who would explain the faith of Christ to us in our language. Send us a bishop and a teacher!”

Tsar Michael responded to the request of Rostislav and first of all called the Philosopher Constantine educated in languages:
- After all, you and your brother come from Thessaloniki (this is another name for the city of Thessaloniki, native to Cyril and Methodius), and the Thessalonians all speak Slavonic well. So you go to the Slavs in Moravia.

Constantine was unwell at the time, but agreed to go to a distant country. He only asked:
- Do the inhabitants of Moravia have letters in their language?
Michael replied:
- No, they don't.
- How will I preach to them? - the Philosopher was upset. - It's like recording a conversation on the water. In addition, if the Slavs misunderstand me, it will turn out that I am preaching heresy - the wrong church teaching!
- If you want, God will give you what you ask for! - the Byzantine king assured Constantine. He understood that the creation of a written Slavic language was necessary not only for Moravia - new language will help the Byzantine Empire convert thousands and thousands of pagan Slavs to Christianity!

Constantine again went to the Small Olympus to Methodius. There he prayed, fasted for forty days, and then set to work. The brothers faced a very difficult task, but Cyril was able to come up with letters that took into account all the peculiarities of the pronunciation of the Slavs. The holy brothers took as a basis the dialects of the Slavs who lived near Thessalonica and created the Glagolitic alphabet - an alphabet that is understandable to residents of other parts of the Slavic world. Why? Because at that time the Slavs had a single language - different Slavic tribes and nationalities spoke approximately the same way and understood each other perfectly.

Constantine had to translate into a new language the Holy Scriptures, a very complex text. Many of the words used there simply did not exist in the Slavic language, they had to be created anew. Such a complex work was undertaken by the holy philosopher. By Easter, the translation of the beginning of the Gospel of John into the new Slavic language was ready. Having completed their work, the holy brothers again set off on their journey.

In Moravia, Methodius and Constantine began by going to schools with local children. Schools prepared future clergy and for this they taught children the Latin language. The brothers showed the students a new, Slavic alphabet and books translated into Slavic.

The local prince Rostislav, under the command of Constantine and Methodius, began to build new churches, where services were held in the Slavic language.

The philosopher and his students continued to translate church services, people in Moravia finally began to understand what the prayers say and how to praise God correctly.

Unfortunately, the German priests did not like the apostolic activity of the brothers. The Germans were convinced that divine services could only be held in three languages - Latin, Hebrew and Greek. It was then common in Latin Western Europe an erroneous opinion, which was later called "trilingual heresy". Konstantin heatedly argued with the Germans, recalling the words of the ancient prophet David: “Praise the Lord in all languages!” and the words of the Gospel: "Go and teach all languages ...", that is, he convinced everyone that it is possible to praise God in any language.

Constantine and Methodius spent more than three years in Moravia. They went around many lands, equipped schools, taught people everywhere the Slavic script and the word of God. Many disciples from the Slavs were ready to become priests and deacons, but only a bishop could give them holy orders. And then there was no bishop in Moravia. In addition, Western high-ranking clergy, dissatisfied with the popularity of Byzantine preachers, sent a complaint to Rome that Constantine and Methodius were teaching the Slavs worship in the Slavic language.

To defend their innocence, Constantine and Methodius had to go to Rome. They took with them the relics of St. Clement, which they brought from Chersonesus.

How the Holy Brothers Came to the Eternal City

On the way to Rome, Constantine and Methodius stopped in Pannonia, in the Blatensky Principality (it was located near Blatensky Lake, modern Balaton - the territory of Hungary, eastern Austria and southwestern Slovakia). Prince Kozel ruled there. He received the brothers very cordially, and the Byzantines stayed at Kotsel for about half a year. The prince gathered 50 students from his people, and together with them he learned the Slavic alphabet from Constantine and Methodius. Saying goodbye, Kotsel offered rich gifts to the preachers, but they refused. They only asked to release nine hundred Greek captives, which was done.

Then the saints moved to the Adriatic Sea, from there they arrived with their disciples in the Italian city of Venice. In the city on the water, they met and again argued a lot, heatedly with the priests, who also fell into the heresy of “trilingualism”. Proving that he was right here too, Constantine recalled the words of the Apostle Paul: “Does not God rain equally on all, or does the sun not shine for all, or does not the whole creation breathe the same air? How dare you not be ashamed to think that besides the three languages, all other tribes and languages must be blind and deaf.”

The Byzantine listed the peoples who pray to the Christian God in their own language - Armenians, Persians, Abkhazians, Iberians, Sughds, Goths, obras, Turks, Kozars, Arabians, Egyptians, Syrians and many others. “Let every breath praise the Lord!”

In Rome, the chief bishop Adrian with the priests met Constantine and Methodius "as angels of God." The relics of St. Clement were considered the greatest relic, so the people who delivered the shrine were given every honor and patronage. Adrian approved the service in the Slavic language and blessed the translations made by the brothers. Slavic books were placed on the altar in the churches of Santa Maria Maggiore and in San Paolo Fuori le Mura, the largest Roman churches of that time. The brothers were allowed to hold the main service in Slavonic - the liturgy in the Church of the Apostle Peter.

The trip to Rome became for Constantine last trip. A year after arriving in the Eternal City, the forty-year-old educator, who was in poor health, caught a serious cold. Konstantin the Philosopher bequeathed to his older brother, faithful comrade and defender: “You and I are like two oxen: one fell from a heavy burden, the other must continue on his way.”

Fifty days before his death, Konstantin took the vows as a monk with the name Cyril. Methodius wanted to take his brother's body to be buried at home, but, on the advice of the Roman bishop, Cyril was buried in the church of St. Clement, next to the relics that the brothers brought to Rome. From that moment on, Cyril began to be revered as a saint. And Methodius had to continue the work that the brothers started together.

About the long wanderings of Methodius

After some time, the prince of Pannonia, Kotsel, asked the bishop of Rome to send Methodius to him again.

Bishop Adrian II of Rome confirmed that Methodius had the right to celebrate the liturgy in the Slavonic language and appointed him his official envoy. Great Moravia and Pannonia were now lands entrusted to Methodius.

On the way to Pannonia, Methodius stopped in Great Moravia. And there everything had already changed: Prince Rostislav, who had previously received the holy brothers so cordially, no longer led the country. On the throne was his nephew Svyatopolk. This ruler again opened the country to German missionaries, and those, of course, did not want to see a rival preacher nearby who teaches and serves in the “wrong” language. In 870, during the campaign of King Louis the German against Moravia, Methodius was captured. The German bishops took advantage of this: Methodius was accused of seizing foreign church territories, arrested, tried and sent into exile in Swabia, a region in the southwest of modern Germany, to one of the monasteries. There, in prison, together with some of his students, he spent almost three years. No one reported this to Rome; there was no one to protect the saint.

Methodius suffered a lot in prison - both hunger and deprivation ... In the end, the news of the metropolitan's misfortunes nevertheless reached the new Bishop of Rome, John VIII. He immediately gave a stern order to release the prisoner.

Methodius was acquitted, his rights were restored, and the land that the metropolitan nourished (that is, he took care of, was responsible for) was returned.

Having reached Great Moravia, the saint, surrounded by his disciples, continued his apostolic labors: he translated liturgical books into Slavonic, preached the teachings of Christ to the locals, converted the Czech prince Borivoj and his wife Lyudmila to Christianity.

Methodius' ministry was not cloudless. The authorities changed, and he was either honored and helped in everything, then again accused of heresy, oppressed, prevented from holding services in the Slavic language. At such moments, only the intervention of Rome saved the saint. Methodius became an archbishop, translated into Slavic almost the entire Old Testament, a collection of church canons, secular laws, and many books.

Methodius had to travel a lot: from Pannonia to Moravia, from there to Rome, again to Moravia, to Constantinople and again to Moravia ... In the forests along the way he was attacked by robbers, at sea he fell into storms more than once, on the rivers he almost drowned in deep pools. But despite the trials, the saint did not leave the service until his death in 885. He was buried in the capital of Great Moravia, Velehrad. They buried him in Slavic, Greek and Latin. Before his death, Methodius appointed his successor. It was Gorazd of Ohrid, a Slav, an archbishop who not only preserved the legacy of Cyril and Methodius, but also, together with other disciples of the holy brothers, took part in the creation of the Cyrillic alphabet based on the Glagolitic script that we use today.

Why was the Cyrillic alphabet needed if there was already a Glagolitic alphabet? In Cyrillic, the lettering is very similar to the Greek alphabet. And in those days everyone knew it - Greek was, as they would say now, “the language of interethnic communication”, like English today. The Cyrillic alphabet looked more familiar and was easier to perceive by scientists, merchants, princes, and ordinary people, although all the letters, all the sounds in it passed from the alphabet of Cyril and Methodius - Glagolitic.

All alphabets created after the Nativity of Christ are inextricably linked with the adoption of Christianity by the peoples. And the Goths, and the Ethiopians, and the Slavs got their own alphabets and their own literary languages only after baptism. The holy brothers understood that Christ's teaching is addressed to all peoples, and it is difficult for illiterate people to preach. Thanks to Cyril and Methodius, the Slavs received not only the gospel and worship in their native language, but also the opportunity to read Byzantine books.

Almost a thousand years after the birth of the Savior, Russia was also baptized. The heritage of the holy brothers and their disciples has become available to us. The Russians got acquainted with the books of Cyril, Methodius and their students, and began to write their own books! Old Russian literature appeared: Metropolitan Hilarion's "Sermon on Law and Grace", Vladimir Monomakh's "Instruction", "The Tale of Boris and Gleb" and others. We are rightfully the successors and custodians of the legacy of Cyril and Methodius.

Glagolitic

Constantine got an alphabet of 41 letters (later reduced to 30). Only it was not known to us Cyrillic , and the other, the first Slavic alphabet - Glagolitic . The name may have come from the fourth letter of the alphabet - "verb", which meant "word". "verb" - to speak. It turns out that with the help of the Glagolitic letters, the sacred books spoke to the Slavs in their native language.

Konstantin came up with a completely new alphabet. Its letters, by their very form, were ideally suited for preaching, as they were combinations of Christian elements symbolizing Christian teaching: the cross - the Passion of Christ, the circle - Divine perfection, the triangle - the Holy Trinity.

The Glagolitic alphabet lasted the longest in Croatia, the last printed edition was published in Rome at the beginning of the last century, however, the letters changed outwardly under the influence of Western Gothic letters.

Cyrillic

The Cyrillic alphabet - Cyrillic - was compiled later, after the death of the holy brothers, on the basis of the Glagolitic alphabet in sound and Greek writing in writing. It is believed that the new alphabet was compiled by the disciples of Methodius, who found shelter in Bulgaria after they were expelled by the authorities from Great Moravia.

Why was the Cyrillic alphabet needed and subsequently became popular, if there was already a Glagolitic one? The fact is that the Cyrillic alphabet is very similar in writing to the Greek alphabet, which was then widespread. Liturgical books were rewritten in Greek letters, so it was more convenient and understandable for the Slavs to write in a similar Cyrillic alphabet. Today Cyrillic is written in Belarus, Bulgaria, Serbia, North Macedonia, Russia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Abkhazia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, South Ossetia...

Take our little quiz and find out if you have carefully read the story of the enlightenment brothers!

Cyril and Methodius - saints, equal to the apostles, Slavic enlighteners, creators of the Slavic alphabet, preachers of Christianity, the first translators of liturgical books from Greek into Slavonic. Cyril was born around 827, died on February 14, 869. Before becoming a monk at the beginning of 869, he bore the name Constantine. His older brother Methodius was born around 820, died on April 6, 885. Both brothers were from Thessalonica (Thessalonica), their father was a military leader. In 863, Cyril and Methodius were sent by the Byzantine emperor to Moravia in order to preach Christianity in the Slavic language and assist the Moravian prince Rostislav in the fight against the German princes. Before leaving, Cyril created the Slavonic alphabet and, with the help of Methodius, translated several liturgical books from Greek into Slavonic: selected readings from the Gospel, apostolic letters. Psalter, etc. In science, there is no consensus on the question of which alphabet Cyril created - Glagolitic or Cyrillic, but the first assumption is more likely. In 866 or 867, Cyril and Methodius, on the call of Pope Nicholas I, went to Rome, on the way they visited the Blaten Principality in Pannonia, where they also distributed the Slavic letter and introduced worship in the Slavic language. After arriving in Rome, Cyril fell seriously ill and died. Methodius was consecrated Archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia and in 870 returned from Rome to Pannonia. In the middle of 884, Methodius returned to Moravia and was busy translating the Bible into Slavonic. Through their activities, Cyril and Methodius laid the foundation for Slavic writing and literature. This activity was continued in the South Slavic countries by their students, who were expelled from Moravia in 886 and moved to Bulgaria.

CYRIL AND METHODIUS - ENLIGHTENERS OF THE SLAVIC PEOPLES

In 863, ambassadors from Great Moravia from Prince Rostislav arrived in Byzantium to Emperor Michael III with a request to send them a bishop and a person who could explain the Christian faith in Slavonic. The Moravian prince Rostislav strove for the independence of the Slavic Church and had already applied to Rome with a similar request, but was refused. Michael III and Photius, just as in Rome, reacted to the request of Rostislav formally and, having sent missionaries to Moravia, did not ordain any of them as bishops. Thus, Constantine, Methodius and their associates could only lead educational activities, but did not have the right to ordain their students to the priestly and deacon ranks. This mission could not succeed and have of great importance, if Constantine had not brought to the Moravans an alphabet that was perfectly developed and convenient for the transmission of Slavic speech, as well as a translation into Slavic of the main liturgical books. Of course, the language of the translations brought by the brothers differed phonetically and morphologically from the living spoken language spoken by the Moravans, but the language of liturgical books was initially perceived as a written, bookish, sacred, sample language. It was much more understandable than Latin, and a certain dissimilarity to the language used in everyday life, gave it greatness.

Constantine and Methodius read the Gospel in Slavonic at divine services, and the people reached out to the brothers and to Christianity. Konstantin and Methodius diligently taught the students the Slavic alphabet, worship, continued their translation activities. Churches where the service was conducted in Latin were empty, the Roman Catholic priesthood was losing influence and income in Moravia. Since Constantine was a simple priest, and Methodius was a monk, they did not have the right to put their students in church positions themselves. To solve the problem, the brothers had to go to Byzantium or Rome.

In Rome, Constantine handed over the relics of St. Clement to the newly ordained Pope Adrian II, so he received Constantine and Methodius very solemnly, with honor, accepted worship in the Slavonic language under his guardianship, ordered to put Slavic books in one of the Roman churches and perform worship over them. The Pope ordained Methodius as a priest, and his disciples as presbyters and deacons, and in a letter to the princes Rostislav and Kotsel, he legitimizes the Slavic translation of the Holy Scripture and the celebration of worship in the Slavic language.

The brothers spent almost two years in Rome. One reason for this is Constantine's deteriorating health. At the beginning of 869, he took the schema and the new monastic name Cyril, and on February 14 he died. By order of Pope Adrian II, Cyril was buried in Rome, in the church of St. Clement.

After the death of Cyril, Pope Adrian ordained Methodius to the rank of Archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia. Returning to Pannonia, Methodius launched a vigorous activity to spread Slavic worship and writing. However, after the removal of Rostislav, Methodius did not have strong political support left. In 871, the German authorities arrested Methodius and held a trial against him, accusing the archbishop of having invaded the possessions of the Bavarian clergy. Methodius was imprisoned in a monastery in Swabia (Germany), where he spent two and a half years. Only thanks to the direct intervention of Pope John VIII, who succeeded the deceased Adrian II, in 873 Methodius was released and restored in all rights, but the Slavic service became not the main one, but only an additional one: the service was conducted in Latin, and sermons could be delivered in Slavonic.

After the death of Methodius, the opponents of the Slavic worship in Moravia became more active, and the worship itself, which rested on the authority of Methodius, was first oppressed, and then completely faded. Some of the students fled to the south, some were sold into slavery in Venice, some were killed. The closest disciples of Methodius Gorazda, Clement, Naum, Angellarius and Lawrence, imprisoned in iron, kept in prison, and then expelled from the country. The writings and translations of Constantine and Methodius were destroyed. This explains the fact that their works have not survived to this day, although there is a lot of information about their work. In 890, Pope Stephen VI anathematized Slavic books and Slavic worship, finally banning them.

The work begun by Constantine and Methodius was nevertheless continued by his disciples. Clement, Naum and Angellarius settled in Bulgaria and were the founders of Bulgarian literature. Orthodox Prince Boris-Michael, a friend of Methodius, supported his students. A new center of Slavic writing appears in Ohrid (the territory of modern Macedonia). However, Bulgaria is under a strong cultural influence of Byzantium, and one of Constantine's students (most likely Clement) creates a script similar to the Greek script. This happens at the end of the 9th - beginning of the 10th century, during the reign of Tsar Simeon. It is this system that gets the name Cyrillic in memory of the person who first attempted to create an alphabet suitable for recording Slavic speech.

THE QUESTION OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE SLAVIC ALPHABETs

The question of the independence of the Slavic alphabets is caused by the very nature of the outlines of the Cyrillic and Glagolitic letters, their sources. What were the Slavic alphabets - a new writing system or just a kind of Greek-Byzantine writing? In deciding this issue, the following factors must be taken into account:

In the history of writing, there was not a single letter-sound system that would have arisen completely independently, without the influence of previous writing systems. So, the Phoenician letter arose on the basis of the ancient Egyptian (although the principle of writing was changed), ancient Greek - on the basis of Phoenician, Latin, Slavic - on the basis of Greek, French, German - on the basis of Latin, etc.

Consequently, we can only talk about the degree of independence of the writing system. At the same time, it is much more important how accurately the modified and adapted original writing corresponds to the sound system of the language that it intends to serve. It is in this respect that the creators of Slavic writing showed a great philological flair, a deep understanding of the phonetics of the Old Slavonic language, as well as a great graphic taste.

THE ONLY STATE CHURCH HOLIDAY

PRESIDIUM OF THE SUPREME SOVIET OF THE RSFSR

RESOLUTION

ABOUT THE DAY OF SLAVIC WRITING AND CULTURE

Attaching great importance to the cultural and historical revival of the peoples of Russia and taking into account the international practice of celebrating the day of the Slavic enlighteners Cyril and Methodius, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR decides:

Chairman

Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR

In 863, 1150 years ago, the Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers Cyril and Methodius began their Moravian mission to create our written language. It is mentioned in the main Russian chronicle "The Tale of Bygone Years": "And the Slavs were glad that they heard about the greatness of God in their own language."

And a second anniversary. In 1863, 150 years ago, the Holy Synod of Russia decided: in connection with the celebration of the millennium of the Moravian Mission of the Holy Brothers Equal to the Apostles, to establish an annual celebration in honor of St. Methodius and Cyril on May 11 (24 CE).

In 1986, at the initiative of writers, especially the late Vitaly Maslov, the first Writing Festival was first held in Murmansk, and the following year it was widely celebrated in Vologda. Finally, on January 30, 1991, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR adopted a resolution on the annual holding of the Days of Slavic Culture and Literature. Readers do not need to be reminded that May 24 is also the name day of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

Logically, it seems that the only state-church holiday in Russia has every reason to acquire not only a national sound, as in Bulgaria, but also a pan-Slavic significance.

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Problem: Most students do not know the history of the creation of the Slavic alphabet.

Purpose: to increase the number of students who know about the origin of the Slavic alphabet.

collect material on the origin of the Slavic alphabet;

prepare a presentation on the origin of the Slavic alphabet;

INTRODUCTION

Language and writing are the most important factors in the formation of the culture of any people. When people begin to forget about the origins of their native language, this is the heaviest blow to their native culture.

Throughout most of their lives, people have used the alphabet to read and create various text documents. If most of the older population can still name the creators of the Slavic alphabet, then the younger generation (students), unfortunately, rarely name the authors. And only a few can tell about who these people were, where and why they became the creators of the Slavic alphabet. I am sure that it is necessary to know the past, because this knowledge helps to understand the present. From time immemorial, messages have been sent to us. It is extremely important to hear the voice of the ancestors, to find answers to eternal questions, to feel like a part of the historical flow. All this determinesrelevancethis study, since the language is an indicator of the spiritual culture of the people.

Hypothesis: a large number of students do not know the history of the creation of the Slavic alphabet.

Research methods: study of literature on the topic, observation, comparison, generalization.

Theoretical and practicalsignificancework is determined by the possibility of using the results of the study in the process of learning the Russian language in the classroom, as well as when conducting further research in this direction.

5. bulk

5.1. The founders of the Slavic alphabet: Cyril and Methodius.

The brothers Constantine (that was the name of St. Cyril before he became a monk) and Methodius were born in the Macedonian region of Byzantium, namely in the main city of the region - Thessaloniki. The father of the future compilers of the Slavic alphabet was from the upper stratum of the Byzantine people.

Constantine was the youngest of the seven brothers, and Methodius was the oldest brother. The year of birth of each of the brothers is not exactly known. It is assumed that the year of birth of Methodius refers to the second decade of the 9th century. Konstantin learned to read very early and surprised everyone with his ability to learn other languages. He received a good education at the court of the emperor in Constantinople under the guidance of the best Byzantine mentors, such as the future Patriarch of Constantinople Photius and Leo the Grammar, a connoisseur of ancient culture, the creator of a unique bibliographic code, mathematician, astronomer and mechanic.

The ancient heritage and all modern secular science were considered by the teachers of Constantine to be a necessary preliminary stage to the comprehension of the highest science - Theology. This also corresponded to the ancient church Christian scientific tradition.

After passing all the sciences in Magnavrskaya high school Constantinople, Constantine took the chair of philosophy, where he had previously studied himself, also acting as the patriarch's librarian.

Returning to Byzantium, Cyril went to seek peace. In a monastery on the coast of the Sea of Marmara, Mount Olympus, after many years of separation, the brothers met again to open new page stories.

5.2. The history of the emergence of the Slavic alphabet.

In 863, ambassadors from Moravia arrived in Constantinople. Moravia was one of the West Slavic states of the 9th-10th centuries, which was located on the territory of the present Czech Republic. The capital of Moravia was the city of Velehrad, scientists have not yet established its exact location. The ambassadors asked to send preachers to their country to tell the population about Christianity. The emperor decided to send Cyril and Methodius to Moravia. Cyril, before setting off, asked if the Moravians had an alphabet for their language. The answer to the question was negative. The Moravians did not have an alphabet. Then the brothers began to work. At their disposal were not years, but months. In a short time, an alphabet was created for the Moravian language. It was named after one of its creators "Cyrillic".

There are various assumptions about the origin of the Cyrillic alphabet. Some scholars believe that in the 9th century, the Slavs had two writing systems almost simultaneously: one was called the Glagolitic alphabet, and the other, the Cyrillic alphabet. Which alphabet was invented by Constantine? Perhaps the first teachers of the Slavs created both of these writing systems, but later the Cyrillic alphabet became the most widespread, which became the basis of the modern Russian alphabet. These writing systems existed in parallel and at the same time differed sharply in the shape of the letters.

"Cyrillic" was compiled according to a fairly simple principle. First, all Greek letters were included in it, which among the Slavs and Greeks denoted the same sounds, then new signs were added - for sounds that had no analogues in the Greek language. Each letter had its own name: “az”, “beeches”, “lead”, “verb”, “good” and so on. In addition, numbers could also be denoted by letters: the letter “az” denoted 1, “lead” -2, “verb” - 3. In total, there were 43 letters in the “Cyrillic alphabet”.

With the help of the Slavic alphabet, Cyril and Methodius very quickly translated the main liturgical books from the Greek alphabet into Slavonic. The first words written using the Slavic alphabet were the opening lines from the Gospel of John: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The successful mission of Cyril and Methodius caused sharp discontent among the Byzantine clergy, who tried to discredit the Slavic enlighteners. They were even accused of heresy. To defend themselves, the brothers went to Rome and were successful: they were allowed to continue the work they had begun.

A long and long journey to Rome, a tense struggle with the enemies of Slavic writing undermined Cyril's health. He became seriously ill. Dying, he took the word from Methodius to continue the enlightenment of the Slavs.

Endless hardships fell upon Methodius, he was persecuted, put on trial, imprisoned, but neither physical suffering nor moral humiliation broke his will, did not change his goal - serving the cause of Slavic enlightenment. Shortly after the death of Methodius, Pope Stephen 5 banned Slavic worship in Moravia under pain of excommunication. The closest associates of Cyril and Methodius were arrested and expelled after torture. Three of them - Clement, Naum and Angelary - found a favorable reception in Bulgaria. Here they still translated from the Greek alphabet into the Slavic alphabet, compiled various collections, and instilled literacy in the population.

It was not possible to destroy the work of the Orthodox enlighteners Cyril and Methodius. Their alphabet began its march through the countries. The introduction of the Slavic alphabet into worship was of particular importance, because at that time the liturgical language was at the same time the language of literature. With the Baptism of Russia, books in the Slavic language began to spread very quickly in Kievan Rus.

5.3. Reforms of the Slavic alphabet

The Cyrillic alphabet existed in the Russian language without change almost until Peter I, during which changes were made to the outline of some letters. He removed the obsolete letters: "Ѫ, ѫ" (yus big), "Ѧ ѧ" (yus small), "Ωω" (omega) and "uk". They existed in the alphabet only by tradition, but, as it turned out, it was perfectly possible to do without them. Peter I deleted them from the civil alphabet - that is, from a set of letters intended for secular printing. In 1918, several more obsolete letters “left” the Russian alphabet: “Ѣ, ѣ” (yat), “Ѳ, ѳ” (fita), “V, ѵ” (Izhitsa), “Ъ, ъ” (er) and "b, b" (er).

For a thousand years, many letters have disappeared from our alphabet, and only two have appeared: “y” and “ё”. They were invented in the 18th century by the Russian writer and historian N.M. Karamzin.

Comparative analysis of the modern Russian alphabet and the Cyrillic alphabet of the pre-Petrine era

The modern Russian alphabet has 33 letters. We compared the Cyrillic alphabet with the modern Russian alphabet and got an interesting picture. For clarity, we have compiled a table.

Table 1

Modern alphabet	Cyrillic letter name	Comment
		preserved
	beeches	preserved
	lead	preserved
	verb	preserved
	good	preserved
	there is	preserved
		added
	live	preserved
	green	lost
	Earth	preserved
	lower (8-decimal)	preserved
		added
	and (decimal)	lost
	what	preserved
	people	preserved
	think	preserved
		preserved
		preserved
	peace	preserved
		preserved
	word	preserved
	firmly	preserved
		preserved
	firth	preserved
		preserved
	omega	lost
		preserved
	worm	preserved
		preserved
		preserved
		preserved
	er	preserved
		preserved
		lost
		added
		preserved
		added
	And iotized	lost
	E iotized	lost
	yus small	lost
	yus big	lost
	yus small iotated	lost
	jus big iotated	lost
		lost
		lost
	fita	lost
	izhitsa	lost

It turned out that during the existence of the Russian alphabet, based on the Cyrillic alphabet, 28 letters were preserved, 4 were added and 14 letters were lost. However, philologists may recognize my conclusions as inaccurate, because the added letters are not reinvented, but only replace sounds or combinations of sounds. For example, the lost letter "E iotized" can be recognized as a prototype modern letters"E", and the letter "small yus" - the prototype of the letter "I". But in any case, my research will make someone think and look at the usual letters of the alphabet from a slightly different angle. I, in turn, am sure that each of the Russian letters deserves a separate study.

6. Conclusion

It is difficult even to imagine what a nation without an alphabet would be like. Ignorant, ignorant, and simply - people without memory, without a past. It is with the help of writing that you can transmit information, share experience with descendants.

More than 1000 years ago, the Slavic scribes brothers Cyril and Methodius became the authors of the Slavic alphabet. Nowadays, one tenth of all existing languages (about 70 languages) are written in Cyrillic.

Every spring on May 24, the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture is celebrated all over Russia. Every person who does not want to lose his connection with the past and history of his people should know and honor the history of the emergence of the Slavic alphabet.

Bibliographic list

Artemov V. V. Slavic Encyclopedia / V. Artemov. - Moscow: OLMA Media Group, 2011. - 304 p. : ill.

Vereshchagin E. M. Cyril and Methodius book heritage: interlingual, intercultural, intertemporal and interdisciplinary research: with two applications: [dedicated to the 1150th anniversary of the beginning of the book activity of St. Cyril and Methodius] / E. M. Vereshchagin; Ros. acad. Sciences, Institute of the Russian Language.

Days of Slavic Literature and Culture: Materials of the Intern. scientific-practical. conf., May 23, 2008, Vladimir / [editor. : V. V. Gulyaeva (editor-in-chief)]. - Vladimir: VlGU, 2008. - 231 p.

Baiburova, R. How did the writing of the ancient Slavs / R. Baiburova / Science and life. - 2002. - No. 5. - S. 48-55.