Image Three: Praise God in your native language. In my opinion, the crucial moment for the Slavs is depicted in this third image. It represents a turning point in the fate of the Slavic nations, the moment when the Slavs gave themselves an identity. Alfons Mucha depicts how, in the 9th century, the Moravian prince Rostislav asked the Byzantine monks Cyril and Methodius to translate parts of the Bible and other liturgical texts, and this action angered German bishops and the Catholic Church in Rome.

The Great Moravian Empire was not just a loose confederation of tribes, but a united state that successfully resisted the aggressive incursions of the Franks. However, it was subordinate to Bavarian bishops in terms of church governance, and its ruler, Prince Rastislav, understood that only by establishing a separate church organization could the country's position be strengthened. Therefore, in the years 860-861, he asked Pope Nicholas I for spiritual assistance. However, his request was rejected. Rastislav then turned to the Byzantine Emperor Michael III, asking him to send teachers to Moravia who could spread the Christian faith in a comprehensible, i.e., Slavic, language.

In 863, the educated Constantine, who later took the name Cyril, and his brother Methodius, arrived from Thessaloniki. They created a new alphabet, Glagolitic, and used it to translate the Gospels. The missionaries selected capable disciples, taught them the alphabet and liturgical practices in the Slavic language. Despite the fierce opposition from Latin priests, Methodius's determination prevailed, and Old Church Slavonic became an equal liturgical language in Great Moravia.

The image depicts the capital of Great Moravia, Velehrad. In the center of the courtyard, on a raised platform, sits Prince Svatopluk surrounded by his retinue, with bishops and dignitaries standing before him. A deacon reads a letter from the Pope, establishing Methodius as an archbishop, subordinating the bishop of Nitra, Wiching, to him, and allowing services to be conducted in the Slavic language. Frankish knights also look on with reverence. In front of the rotunda, painted according to the Church of St. George in Thessaloniki, stands Methodius, leading a procession of his disciples, who returned from his third journey to Rome in 880. Cyril entered a monastery in Rome and is buried there.

The group of people in the upper left corner symbolizes the violent spread of Christianity by the Franks. Below, on the left, Cyril is depicted protecting the Moravians from heaven. In the upper right corner of the image are four figures that Mucha uses to represent the liturgical connection between Great Moravia and Kievan Rus' – St. Olga with her husband Igor, and with Bulgaria – St. Boris with his wife. The two figures in the center, sitting on a boat-shaped sword, are the sons of St. Vladimir, Gleb and Boris, patrons of sailors and protectors of merchants. They symbolize that all Slavic nations gradually arrived at the port of Christianity. The figure of the young man with a circle and a clenched fist is a symbol of strength, unity, and Slavic solidarity.

In the upper left corner is a group of distressed women being comforted by Cyril himself. Above them, in the center, is Rostislav with the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church. The group of four figures in the upper right corner represents Russian and Bulgarian rulers who supported the Slavic liturgy.

Also read: Alfons Mucha's Slavic Epic – Image second: The Svantovit Festival on Rügen – When the gods wage war, salvation is in art

Jan Vojtěch, Editor-in-Chief of General News