The first-of-its-kind monument of the Cyrillic alphabet was unveiled in the capital of Mongolia Ulan Bator within the framework of President Rosen Plevneliev’s state visit to Mongolia. The monument with letters of the Slavic alphabet was set up in the yard of school No. 118 in the Mongolian capital and the ceremony was attended by the culture minister of Mongolia, the Mongolian ambassador to Sofia, teachers and graduates of the school.

 

“Here we realize most clearly how great the deed of the holy Apostles Cyril and Methodius and their followers is – 11 centuries after the Cyrillic alphabet was created, it is still used by more than 300 million people from the Far East through Mongolia to the heart of Europe,” the Head of State said in his statement at a solemn ceremony. 

 

The President recalled that the Cyrillic AB saved and enriched a lot of language, sound and cultural systems throughout the world. “Our alphabet today brings light and enlightment to more than 50 peoples, among which apart from the Bulgarians and Mongolians, are the Russian, Byelorussian, Ukrainian, Serbian and a lot more peoples. We, Bulgarians, are proud because we consider the preservation of the deed of the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius and the spreading of the Cyrillic alphabet worldwide our valuable contribution,” Rosen Plevneliev emphasized.

 

In the Head of State’s words, thanks to the holy brothers’ deed, the Bulgarian and Mongolian people are closely related, despite the centuries-long historical and geographic distance. “We share not only the same alphabet, but also a common cultural and civilization code. Our Cyrillic alphabet has a future in the world, it is not just a script – it is our cultural and spiritual choice. The Cyrillic alphabet – this is all of us together and this monument set up in a school yard is proof of that. The alphabet will be the strong bridge which will always connect us and show us the road,” President Rosen Plevneliev further said.

 

On behalf of the Initiative Committee on building the monument of the Cyrillic alphabet in Ulan Bator, archeologist professor Nikolay Ovcharov said that 11 May is a memorable day and granted an icon of the holy brother Cyril and Methodius to school No. 118. It is namely in Bulgaria that the translation of the liturgical books started in the 9th century, from where they were spread to the whole Slavic world, professor Ovcharov recalled. By unveiling the monument of the Cyrillic alphabet, namely in a non-Slavic country, we commemorate this great deed, the professor added.