Clement of Ohrid | |
|---|---|
 Icon of Saint Clement of Ohrid from the OrthodoxZograf monastery on MountAthos in Greece, depicted as a disciple ofSaints Cyril and Methodius. | |
| One of the Seven Apostles of Bulgaria, Disciple ofSaints Cyril and Methodius | |
| Born | c. 830–840 Byzantine orFirst Bulgarian Empire[1][2] |
| Died | (916-07-27)July 27, 916 (date of burial) Ohrid,Bulgarian Empire[3] (nowNorth Macedonia) |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church,Catholic Church |
| Feast | 27 July[4] |
| Attributes | Glagolitic alphabet,Cyrillic script |
| Patronage | Ohrid,North Macedonia[5] |
Saint Clement (orKliment)of Ohrid (Bulgarian,Macedonian,Serbian:Климент Охридски,Kliment Ohridski;Ancient Greek:Κλήμης τῆς Ἀχρίδας,Klḗmēs tē̂s Akhrídas;Slovak:Kliment Ochridský;c. 830 – 916) was one of the first medievalBulgarian saints,[a] scholar, writer, and apostle to theSlavs.[7][8][9][10][11] He was one of the most prominent disciples ofCyril and Methodius and is often associated with the creation of theGlagolitic andCyrillic scripts, especially their popularisation amongChristianised Slavs. He was the founder of theOhrid Literary School and is regarded as a patron of education and language by some Slavic people. He is considered to be the first bishop of theBulgarian Orthodox Church,[b][13] one of theSeven Apostles of Bulgarian Orthodox Church since the 10th century, and one of the premier saints of modernBulgaria.[14] The mission of Clement was the crucial factor which transformed the Slavs in thenKutmichevitsa (present-day Macedonia)[c] into Bulgarians.[15] Clement is also the patron saint ofNorth Macedonia, the city ofOhrid[5] and theMacedonian Orthodox Church.[16][17]
The exact date of his birth is unknown. Most probably, he joined Methodius as a young man following him later to the monastery onMysian Olympus. According to his hagiography byTheophylact of Ohrid, Clement knew the life of Methodius like no other. That is why most scholars think he was born in theByzantine Empire in the territory where Methodius served during his political career, i.e. that he was aSlav fromSouthern Macedonia.[18] This gives rise to some researchers to indicate the area ofThessaloniki as the possible place of birth of Clement. According to others, the area of Southern Macedonia, including the northern approach to Thessaloniki, where he may have been born, was then part of theFirst Bulgarian Empire.[19] Most ofMacedonia became part of Bulgaria between 830 and 840, i.e when Clement was born.[20] TheShort Life of St. Clement by Theophylact of Ohrid testifies to his Slavic origin, calling him "the first bishop in theBulgarian language,"[21] whileThe Ohrid Legend written byDemetrios Chomatenos describes him as one of the EuropeanMoesians, commonly known as Bulgarians.[d] Because of that, some scholars label him a Bulgarian Slav,[23][24] whileDimitri Obolensky calls Clement a Slav inhabitant of the Kingdom of Bulgaria.[25] A fringe view on his origin postulates that Clement was born inGreat Moravia. This view is based on the lexicographical analysis of Clement's works.[26]
Clement participated in the mission ofCyril and Methodius toGreat Moravia. In 867 or 868 he became a priest inRome, ordained along with two other disciples of Cyril and Methodius,Gorazd andNaum, by bishopsFormosus and Gauderic. After the death of Cyril, Clement accompanied Methodius on his journey fromRome toPannonia and Great Moravia. After the death of Methodius himself in 885, Clement headed the struggle against theGerman clergy in Great Moravia along with Gorazd. After spending some time in jail, he was expelled from Great Moravia and in 885 or 886 reachedBelgrade, then in the borders of Bulgaria, together withNaum of Preslav,Angelarius and possibly also Gorazd (according to other sources, Gorazd was already dead by that time). Angelarius soon died after an arrival, but Clement and Naum were afterwards sent to the Bulgarian capital of Pliska, where they were commissioned byBoris I to instruct the future clergy of the state in the Slavonic language. Eventually they were commissioned to establish two theological schools - theOhrid Literary School inOhrid and thePreslav Literary School inPreslav. The Preslav Literary School had been originally established inPliska, but was moved to Preslav in 893. After the adoption ofChristianity in 865, religious ceremonies in Bulgaria were conducted inGreek by clergy sent from the Byzantine Empire. Fearing growing Byzantine influence and weakening of the state, Boris viewed the adoption of the Old Slavonic language as a way to preserve the political independence and stability of Bulgaria.
According to his hagiography by Theophylact of Ohrid, while Naum stayed in Pliska working on the foundation of thePliska Literary School, Clement was commissioned by Boris I to organise the teaching of theology to future clergymen in Old Church Slavonic in the southwestern part of the Bulgarian Empire, in the region then known asKutmichevitsa, where he founded theOhrid Literary School inOhrid.[27] For a period of seven years (between 886 and 893) Clement taught some 3,500 disciples in the Slavonic language and theGlagolitic alphabet. At that time, Clement translatedChristian literature into Old Church Slavonic, and in this way, he and his co-workers laid the foundations of theBulgarian Orthodox Church.[28]
In 893 he was ordained archbishop ofDrembica,Velika (bishopric). Upon his death in 916 he was buried in his monastery,Saint Panteleimon, inOhrid. Soon after he was canonized as a saint by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.[29]
The development of Old Church Slavonic literacy had the effect of preventing the assimilation of theSouth Slavs into neighbouring Byzantine culture, which promoted the formation of a distinct Bulgarian identity in the Empire.[30] During the first quarter of the 10th century, theethnonym “Bulgarians” was adopted by the Slavic tribes in most of Macedonia, while their names were abandoned.[e] Clement's life's work played a significant role in this transformation.[32]
Clement of Ohrid was one of the most prolific and important writers inOld Church Slavonic. He is credited with thePanonic Hagiography of Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius. Clement also translated theFlower Triode containing church songs sung from Easter to Pentecost and is believed to be the author of theHoly Service and theLife of St. Clement of Rome, as well as of the oldest service dedicated to Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius. The invention of the Cyrillic alphabet is also usually ascribed to him although the alphabet is most likely to have been developed at thePreslav Literary School at the beginning of the 10th century (seeCyrillic script).
Medieval frescoes of Clement exist throughout the modern-day territories of North Macedonia, Serbia and northern Greece, with the vast majority being located in North Macedonia.[33] TheChurch of St. Clement of Ohrid is located inSkopje and is the largest cathedral of theMacedonian Orthodox Church.
The first modernBulgarian university,Sofia University, was named after Clement upon its foundation in 1888. The Macedonian National and University Library, founded on November 23, 1944, also bears his name.[34] The University inBitola, established in 1979, is named after Clement, as well as the Bulgarian scientific base,St. Kliment Ohridski onLivingston Island in theSouth Shetland Islands ofAntarctica.
In November 2008, theMacedonian Orthodox Church donated part of Clement's relics to theBulgarian Orthodox Church as a sign of good will.[35]
In May 2018 was announced that in the ruins of aRavna Monastery, near the village ofRavna inProvadiya Municipality, the signature of Clement was identified on a stone plate with a large amount of graffiti on it. The signature is dated as of April 24, 889. The finding gives reason to assume that the disciples ofCyril and Methodius were settled there at one stage, after being expelled from the Great Moravia and their reception in Bulgaria.[36]
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