Southern Slavs' Identity in the Context of the Cyril and Methodius Heritage: From Ohrid to the Adriatic Southern Slavs are those who were closest to the cradle of the Cyril and Methodius tradition. It was on the Balkans, in Bulgarian and Serbian lands, that the disciples of the Thessalonian brothers found refuge after being exiled from Great Moravia. It was here that Slavic writing did not just survive but flourished, becoming the foundation of entire national cultures. Cyril and Methodius were not southern Slavs by origin, but their cause became the spiritual pillar around which the identity of southern Slavs was built for centuries. Today, when we speak of Bulgarians, Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, Macedonians, and Montenegrins, we inevitably turn to this common origin. But how exactly the Cyril and Methodius heritage shaped their self-awareness, what disputes and disagreements it engendered, and why it remains alive even in the 21st century — this is what our article is about. The Balkans as a Lifebuoy for Slavic Writing After the death of Methodius in 885, his disciples were exiled from Great Moravia. They had to seek refuge, and they found it in the south — in the First Bulgarian Kingdom, where Prince Boris I and then his son Simeon ruled. Boris, striving to establish an independent Bulgarian church, saw in the disciples of Methodius a unique opportunity to obtain Slavic liturgy and literature independent of Byzantine Greek influence. Thus, Clement, Naum, Angelarius, and others found themselves in Pliska and Preslav, and then in Ohrid, on the shores of Ohrid Lake. This turn became decisive for the fate of Slavic writing. On Bulgarian land, Glagolitic and Cyrillic received new life. Clement, considered the first bishop to write in the Slavic language, founded the Ohrid Book School. Naum continued his work. And in Preslav, the capital of Simeon, a whole circle of bookkeepers worked, translating and copying liturgical texts, creating original works. It was here tha ... Read more