The Cyrillo-Methodian Mission in the Work of Fr. Dvorník

The Cyrillo-Methodian Mission is a key issue in the research of Fr. Dvorník His first monograph, which collected the results of his doctoral thesis, was devoted to the Slavs between Rome and Byzantium in the Ninth century and formed the basis of his subsequent monograph. Dvorník committed himself, in fact, to the lengthy task of analyzing the so-called Pannonian Legends, published in French as Les Légendes de Constantin et de Méthode vues de Byzance (Prague 1933), a masterpiece in the field of Slavic studies and Medieval history. Capitalizing on his extensive preparation in Prague in the field of history (Bidlo) and archaeology (Niederle) and his training in Paris in Byzantine (Diehl) and Slavic Studies (Mazon) Dvorník meticulously examined historical sources and archaeological data in order to check whether the scenarios offered by the Lives of the Thessalonian brothers were compatible with our historical knowledge. This approach enabled him to compare the research results in various disciplines with scientific accuracy, critically examining a bibliography which even then had reached very large dimensions. The Czech scholar aimed to offer a comprehensive and detailed historical and geopolitical view in which to place the beginning of the process of acculturation of the Slavs and the first written Slavic culture. During his subsequent research, the Cyrillo-Methodian issue did not disappear from his attention and Dvorník frequently returned to study, to point out certain scenarios and offer new perspectives for research, which should be better valued. Although the results achieved in the Thirties have obviously needed updating in the light of new data, the general approach offered by Fr. Dvorník remains fully valid.