The spirituality of the East Europe in the Middle Age

Second part

The Mount Athos monastery , founded  in those far-off years, is, still today the spiritual orthodoxian centre . Anthony monk was the founder. From this lonely place, over the Calcidica peninsula, radiated a light that lights all the East Orthodoxe Europe still today. The monks apply the St. Theodor  of Studios rule, leading a  semi-eremitic life, remaining alone for many times of the day, and  meeting for the common pray only. This style of spirituality is called  "laura". So the Mount Athos monastery is also called "Great Laura".  Over the Middle Age centuries  the Slavic converts to the Orthodoxy founded  their monasteries over this mount: Bulgarians, Serbs and Russians. In fact the Holy Mount was the starting point  for the Slavic people’s evangelisation . This  fact was in accord with the imperial politics, leaning to recognise the emperor as the supreme leader of the Orthodox Christian world. In 864 St. Cyril e St. Method, two monks brothers, native of Salonika, left for the mission to Moravia. To transmit to the Slavic  the Christian Orthodox religion and the Byzantine law, Cyril  invented an alphabet (Glagolitic), fitting  the Greek to the Slavonic. The St. Cyril  and  St. Method’ s disciples simplified  it, starting to the Cyrillic alphabet (so named in his honor), and to the first writing in a similar language for all the Slavic  people, named "Ecclesiastic Ancient Slavonic". The spirituality of east Europe was influenced in a most important way by these two great saints. Christian Orthodox faith and implicit agreement  of Byzantine  emperor ‘s power  were the foundations for the development of the great part of the East Europe countries. In these countries the religious and the political choice to bind they self  to the Holy Roman Empire  or to the Byzantine Empire made in the Middle Age explains still today the cultural, political and religious. Particularly  Poland, Hungary, Czech people  and Slovaks, Croatia, Estonian and Lithuanian bind they self to German and Catholic West. Instead  Bulgaria, Serbia and  Russia bind they self to the Byzantine Emperor and to the Greek orthodoxe Church. In these countries one writes in modern Cyrillic, and one follows the Byzantine liturgy still today. 

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