Život svatých Cyrila a Metoděje mezi Východem a Západem I. – Pavlík Matěj (2025)

One of the most fundamental and interesting written works of the former Catholic priest and subsequently bishop of the Czech and Moravian-Silesian Czechoslovak Orthodox Church, Saint Gorazd II, whose civil name was Matěj Pavlík, is the written work that we publish in the first part of this publication.

The title captures the essence of the content of this intriguing work, which not only addresses the lives of both saints but also the social circumstances of their lives and mission. It is important to realize that their mission to Great Moravia took place at a time when the Christian church in Europe was still essentially united and had not yet been divided into Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Catholic) parts. This leads to a curious situation where two Byzantine church leaders, who professed some dogmas incompatible with today's Catholic dogmas, are considered saints by the Catholic Church.

At that time, when the holy apostles went to Moravia, there was also an effort by the ancestors of today's Germans (then within the Carolingian Empire and later the successor East Frankish Empire) to dominate the Slavic nations, including taking control of church offices and their people. This had a heavy and negative impact on life...