History

St. Cyril and his brother St. Methodius of Byzantium were Armenian

Although Greeks argue its accuracy, some Armenian scholars say St. Cyril and his brother St. Methodius of Byzantium were Armenian.

The two saints converted the Slavs to Christianity and invented their alphabet. The brothers were born in Thesaloniki to a Greek family of Armenian descent.

Their baptismal names were Leon and Moria. Methodius was born in 826 and Cyril a year later. In 860 the brothers tried to convert the pagan Khazars to Christianity.

Many Eastern European countries use the alphabet that the brothers invented. The alphabet is called Cyrillic—after its co-inventor St. Cyril.

By Jirair Tutunjian, Toronto

Vigen Avetisyan

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