The Tradition of Cyril and Methodius in the 14th-18th century Czech Culture

Abstract

In the lands of the Kingdom of Bohemia the tradition of Cyril and Methodius ac- quired crucial functions for the Church and the State during the reign of Charles IV (14th century), exerting a strong influence on the Czech culture. A complex of ideas was born synthesizing the state ideology, the Christian tradition of echism (uniting all the Christian world), Czech (and later, in Baroque era, Moravian) patriotism, glagolitic tradition and universalism. The zenith of the influence of Cyril and Methodius tradition was reached during the activity of the Emmaus Monastery in Prague (14th century) and of the Basilica in Velehrad (18th century), where, according to one tradition, Saints Cyril and Methodius worked while in Great Moravia.