Cyril was born a Salonika and educated at Constantinople.  With his brother Methodius, he went to Moravia to preach the faith.  They both translated liturgical books into the Slavonic language, using the Cyrillic alphabet which they invented.  They were called to Rome where Cyril died in 869.  Methodius became a bishop and went to Hungary where he laboured in preaching the Gospel while enduring many hardships due to jealousy.  He died in Czechoslovakia in 885.

Picture: Cyril and Methodius, painting by Jan Matejko, 1885