In 869, exhausted by the arduous journeys undertaken during his missionary work, Cyril fell seriously ill. On his deathbed in Rome, Methodius confessed to him that he too was weary and was considering “coming down from the mountain” – abandoning his spiritual mission.

Cyril, however, asked him not to forsake their shared duty and to continue the work they had begun in the name of enlightening the Slavic peoples in the Christian faith.