Cyril, monk - February 14th
St Cyril (d. 869, Rome, Italy) (Relics: Rome, Italy)
St Cyril is believed to have discovered both the anchor and the relics of St Clement I in Crimea in 861 AD. St Cyril then brought these relics to Rome during his visit in 868 AD. He died in Rome a year later. His brother, St Methodius, wished to return the body of St Cyril to his homeland in Thessalonica; however, Pope Adrian II would not allow this. As a result the body of St Cyril was kept in Rome and buried in the Basilica of San Clemente, the same church where he had deposited the relics of St Clement I a year prior. The remains of St Cyril remained in this church until their removal and disappearance during the French establishment of the Roman Republic in the late 18th century. In the 1960’s, a fortunate discovery by an Irish Dominican led to the retrieval of a small relic of St Cyril. This relic is now within this church as noted below.
First Class Relics
Basilica di San Clemente (Basilica of Saint Clement)
Via di San Giovanni in Laterano / Piazza San Clemente
Rome, Italy
*This church is east of the Colosseum.
*A chapel on the right side of the nave is dedicated to Saints Cyril and Methodius. The relic of St Cyril found in the 1960’s rests within the altar of this chapel.
*Also the remains of St Ignatius of Antioch (d. 107) and of St Clement I (d. 97) rest below the main altar.
Churches of Honor in Rome
San Girolamo dei Croati
(Saint Jerome of the Croatians)
Via Tomacelli 132
Rome, Italy
*This church is west of the Spanish Steps and near the Tiber River. It is not open often.
*The first chapel on the left side of the nave contains a painting that depicts Saints Cyril and Methodius giving the relics of St Clement I to Pope Adrian II.
