Thousands celebrate Cyril and Methodius Day at Velehrad pilgrimage site

Czechs are marking the legacy of Saints Cyril and Methodius who came to Great Moravia in 863 to spread the Christian faith and lay the foundations of literacy with the Glagolitic alphabet.

The celebrations at the Velehrad pilgrimage site, attended by around 30,000 people from at home and abroad, included an open air mass, exhibitions, lectures and public debates. This year the mass was celebrated by the Apostolic Nuncio to the Czech Republic Jude Thaddeus Okolo.

A charity concert held within the People of Goodwill celebrations on Friday evening raised over 800,000 crowns.