One thousands one hundred and fifty years after the assumption of St. Constantine-Cyril the Philosopher on February 14, 869, the legacy of his deeds is not only still alive, but scholars from a number of countries keep studying his rich life and work. That is why today, when we celebrate his presentation to God, researchers from six countries - Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland and Russia, the talk about their latest studies at a conference themed "Let him be glorified, honored and revered". The three-day scientific forum is organized by the Cyrillo-Methodian Scientific Centre with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and is also dedicated to the 150^th anniversary of the Academy's foundation.

Bulgarians honour Constantine the Philosopher as a creator, together with his brother Methodius, of the Slavonic script. But he is even more important in his role as a creator of the Old Bulgarian literary language recognized as the third classic language of Christianity in Medieval Europe alongside Greek and Latin. In general, the Bulgarian lands have since long ago provided space for the old graphic culture - the Greek and Latin letters, the Gothic alphabet, the Glagolitic alphabet and, of course, the Cyrillic alphabet.

“We must always emphasize that the Cyrillic alphabet was created in Bulgaria by the disciples of Cyril and Methodius and it is our greatest contribution to European culture”, says Prof. Dr. Slavia Burlieva, Director of the Sofia-based Cyrillo-Methodian Scientific Center. "And had there been no enlightened rulers in the Cyrillo-Methodian period, no part of this holy work would have been preserved until today and probably - as in the lands of the Western Slavs, we would be now writing in Latin. We should also always bear in mind that Cyril and Methodius broke the Greco-Roman model of European culture by bringing the Slavic element into it. So let's not allow to be bothered, as it happened recently, in the most improper manner with allegations that the Cyrillic alphabet was created in Macedonia. And let's teach young people to know that the alphabet is one of the basic parameters of our national identity, that it has protected us from all sorts of assimilations and that we should never give it up”.

And what could be more disturbing than the risk that this knowledge might not just fade away but might be actually replaced by "facts" fabricated for the purposes of someone's geopolitical purposes.

“Nowadays, throughout Europe, the departments of Slavic Studies, Bulgarian Studies and the so-called small Slavic languages are being closed down in favour of the Russian studies departments”, says Prof. Slavia Burlieva. “This is a political and economic phenomenon that is easy to explain, yet unfortunately it diverts the interest of the Slavists from this first stage of the Cyrillo-Methodian legacy. A recent example is the department of Slavonic and Balkan Studies at the University of Vienna, where Bulgarian studies had a strong presence. However, instead of the exceptional young Austrian scholar with good knowledge of Bulgarian and Serbian language, a specialist from Russia was appointed there - perhaps just as good, albeit having nothing to do with Balkan studies. Thus, there are only specialists in Russian studies in the department today and no representative of the Balkan countries. The BAS turned to the Austrian Minister of Education and Science with an appeal to maintain the presence of Bulgarian studies, but that did not happen. And Bulgaria, in the face of Bulgaria’s foreign ministry, did not take any action, even though the matter was referred to the ministry.”

In the final analysis, the outcome of thisinaction isunequivocal– Bulgaria is deprived of yet another cultural centre which could train ambassadors of Bulgarian culture around the world.

“To me, this shows a careless and irresponsible attitude and is yet another example of the lack of any sensitivity to spirituality - but what is defined as spiritual does not bring revenue, cannot be divided and sold. These are all issues that will have their effect several generations after us and apparently the people who are currently in the highest ranks of power are not interested in them”, said Prof. Dr. Slavia Burlieva.

English Rossitsa Petcova