Tens of thousands expected at Cyril and Methodius celebration

Up to 30,000 pilgrims from the Czech Republic and abroad are expected to mark the anniversary of Saints Cyril and Methodius at Velehrad, in South Moravia, over the weekend, the news website novinky.cz reported. The event, commemorating the Christian missionaries, kicks off on Friday with a concert; on Saturday, Cardinal Dominik Duka and Olomouc Archbishop Jan Graubner will celebrate a mass at the Velehrad basilica. The Byzantine brothers Cyril and Methodius arrived in Great Moravia in 863, preaching the Gospel in a Slavic language.