Official feasts used to be an important part of the human community. People would gather together to remember something sacred, express their faith and hope for the future, and / or just be together formally, recognizing each other as being part of a shared community. Few things express a desire for shared companionship and social intimacy more than dining together. Sadly, the gathering together for feasting is increasingly a relic of the past – at least here in the West.
It need not be so! Today we will remember the ancient feasts.
The Feast Day of St. Clement of Ohrid
This is a Christian religious celebration of Clement of Ohrid, a 9th and 10th century medieval Bulgarian saint, who was one of the most prominent disciples of Cyril and Methodius, and he is often associated with the creation of the Glagolitic and Cyrillic scripts. He is regarded as the first Bishop of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and and as one of the Seven Apostles of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
Icon of Saint Clement, located in the Mother of God Perybleptos church, OhridFresco of Saint Clement, located in the Mother of God Perybleptos church, Ohrid
The exact date of his birth is unknown. Most probably, he joined Methodius as a young man following him later to the monastery on Mysian Olympus. According to his hagiography by Theophylact of Ohrid, Clement knew the life of Methodius like no other. That is why most scholars think he was born in the Byzantine Empire in the territory where Methodius served during his political career, i.e., that he was a Slav from Southern Macedonia. This compels some researchers to designate the area of Thessaloniki 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 the First Bulgarian Empire. Most of Macedonia became part of Bulgaria between 830 and 840, i.e., when Clement was born. The Short Life of St. Clement by Theophylact of Ohrid testifies to his Slavic origin, calling him “the first bishop in the Bulgarian language,” while The Ohrid Legend written by Demetrios Chomatenos describes him as one of the European Moesians, commonly known as Bulgarians. Because of that, some scholars label him a Bulgarian Slav, while Dimitri Obolensky calls Clement a Slav inhabitant of the Kingdom of Bulgaria. A fringe view on his origin postulates that Clement was born in Great Moravia. This view is based on the lexicographical analysis of Clement’s works.
Clement participated in the mission of Cyril and Methodius to Great Moravia. In 867 or 868 he became a priest in Rome, ordained along with two other disciples of Cyril and Methodius, Gorazd and Naum, by bishops Formosus and Gauderic. After the death of Cyril, Clement accompanied Methodius on his journey from Rome to Pannonia and Great Moravia. After the death of Methodius himself in 885, Clement headed the struggle against the German clergy in Great Moravia along with Gorazd. After spending some time in jail, he was expelled from Great Moravia and in 885 or 886 reached Belgrade, then within the borders of Bulgaria, together with Naum of Preslav, Angelarius and possibly also Gorazd (according to other sources, Gorazd was already dead by that time). Angelarius died soon after arrival, but Clement and Naum were afterwards sent to the Bulgarian capital of Pliska, where they were commissioned by Boris I to instruct the future clergy of the state in the Slavonic language. Eventually they were commissioned to establish two theological schools — the Ohrid Literary School in Ohrid and the Preslav Literary School in Preslav. The Preslav Literary School had been originally established in Pliska, but was moved to Preslav in 893. After the adoption of Christianity in 865, religious ceremonies in Bulgaria were conducted in Greek 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.
Southeastern Europe in the late 9th century.
According to his hagiography by Theophylact of Ohrid, while Naum stayed in Pliska working on the foundation of the Pliska 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 as Kutmichevitsa, where he founded the Ohrid Literary School in Ohrid. For a period of seven years (between 886 and 893) Clement taught some 3,500 disciples in the Slavonic language and the Glagolitic alphabet. At that time, Clement translated Christian literature into Old Church Slavonic, and in this way, he and his co-workers laid the foundations of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
In 893 he was ordained archbishop of Drembica, Velika (bishopric). Upon his death in 916 he was buried in his monastery, Saint Panteleimon, in Ohrid. Soon after he was canonized as a saint by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
The development of Old Church Slavonic literacy had the effect of preventing the assimilation of the South Slavs into neighbouring Byzantine culture, which promoted the formation of a distinct Bulgarian identity in the Empire. During the first quarter of the 10th century, the ethnonym “Bulgarians” was adopted by the Slavic tribes in most of Macedonia, while their names were abandoned. Clement’s life’s work played a significant role in this transformation.
Clement of Ohrid was one of the most prolific and important writers in Old Church Slavonic. He is credited with the Panonic Hagiography of Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius. Clement also translated the Flower Triode containing church songs sung from Easter to Pentecost and is believed to be the author of the Holy Service and the Life 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 the Preslav Literary School at the beginning of the 10th century (see Cyrillic 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. The Church of St. Clement of Ohrid is located in Skopje and is the largest cathedral of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.
The first modern Bulgarian 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. The University in Bitola, established in 1979, is named after Clement, as well as the Bulgarian scientific base, St. Kliment Ohridski on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica.
In May 2018 was announced that in the ruins of a Ravna Monastery, near the village of Ravna in Provadiya 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 of Cyril and Methodius were settled there at one stage, after being expelled from the Great Moravia and their reception in Bulgaria.
This is a really excellent tour of a cathedral bearing St. Clement’s name:
What is a food you can eat to celebrate teh feast day of St. Clement of Ohrid?
Given his strong historical associations with Bulgaria, a dish from there seems like an apprpriate thing to serve on this feast day.
The quality of the meat is especially important. Pork with moderate fat content creates the juiciest texture and helps prevent dry kufteta after grilling.
Instructions
Season the ground meat with salt, black pepper and cumin and leave it for a few hours in the fridge.
In a large bowl combine the ground meat, grated onion, and 3 tsp water.
Add egg, parsley, cumin, chubritsa, salt, and black pepper. Mix everything
Knead the mixture well with the rest the ingredients with your hands for several minutes until fully combined and slightly sticky.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to 2 hours to allow the flavors to develop.
Wet your hands slightly and shape the meat into flat oval or round patties about ½ inch thick.
Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook the kufteta for about 4–5 minutes per side until nicely browned and fully cooked.
Serve immediately with Shopska salad, lyutenitsa, roasted peppers, fries, or fresh bread.
What is a prayer to say for the Feast Day of St. Clement of Ohrid?
Saint Clement of Ohrid, patient teacher and faithful servant of Christ, I come to you carrying the weight of trying to live and pass on faith in a world that does not value truth.
You know the cost of exile. You know the pain of opposition. You know the burden of teaching when results are unseen.
Stand beside me now.
When I feel weary in teaching, give me endurance. When confusion surrounds me, give me clarity. When faith feels fragile, help me remain rooted.
You who formed generations quietly, teach me patience. You who preserved truth through suffering, teach me courage. You who trusted God with the future, teach me hope.
Bless my words with wisdom. Bless my heart with perseverance. Bless my life with fidelity.
Help me build what will last, even if it is unseen.
Saint Clement of Ohrid, pray for me. Pray for those I teach. Pray for every soul seeking steady faith.
Amen.
When is the Feast Day of St. Clement of Ohrid celebrated?
This feast is celebrated annually on 27 July.
I hope that everyone who celebrates has a wonerful day!
