The holy equal-to-the-apostles Clement, Bishop of Ohrid, Naum, Savva, Gorazd, and Angelar were Slavs, disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius. They labored in the field of enlightenment in Moravia, where Saint Gorazd was a bishop. Saints Clement, Naum, Angelar, and Savva were presbyters.
They faced a strong Latin-German group of missionaries, supported by the Pope and Prince Svyatopolk. The struggle revolved around the necessity of worship in the Slavic language. Pope Stephen VI prohibited worship in the Slavic language.
The disciples of Saint Methodius, including Saint Clement, were subjected to cruel tortures and imprisonment. In 886, they were sold into slavery and found themselves on the Venetian market. They were redeemed by the envoy of the Byzantine Emperor Basil the Macedonian. Other Slavic confessors were exiled.
In 907, under the blows of the Hungarians, Moravia fell, and refugees flowed into Bulgaria. The Bulgarians met the Slavic confessors with honor and asked them to introduce worship in the Slavic language. Prince Boris sought such people as the disciples of Saint Methodius to enlighten his people.
Saint Angelar soon passed away, while Saint Clement began to teach in Kutmichevitsa. He organized a school at the princely court and created schools for adults and children. Saint Clement taught children literacy, and the number of his students reached 3,500. In 893, he was elevated to the rank of Bishop of Dremvitsa.
Saint Clement was the first of the Bulgarian hierarchs to serve and write in the Slavic language, systematically preparing clergy. He labored for the glory of God until old age. Turning to King Simeon with a request for retirement, the saint continued his ministry. In Ohrid, he continued his translation work and translated a significant part of the Color Triodion.
The saint peacefully departed to the Lord in 916. His body was buried in the Ohrid Panteleimon Monastery. Saint Clement is considered the first Slavic writer, leaving behind his works as examples of Slavic spiritual literature.
The relics of Saints Gorazd and Angelar rest near Berat in Albania, while the remains of Saint Naum are in the monastery named after him near Lake Ohrid.
