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The year 2014 constitutes a landmark for the Museum of Byzantine Culture, as it has been twenty year since its opening to the public of our city and beyond, presenting its first temporary exhibition. Within the framework of this anniversary the Museum organizes a temporary exhibition with the title ?Ex Thessalonica Lux?, honouring Thessaloniki as the birthplace of Saints Cyril and Methodius. In this original temporary exhibition the definitive contribution of the Thessalonian brothers, Constantine ? Cyril and Methodius is highlighted regarding the invention of the Slavonic script, the establishment of the Cyrillic alphabet ?the third official alphabet of European Union- along with the subsequent spread of Christianity in the world of today?s Central Europe and beyond. For all the above-mentioned reasons, the exhibition is to frame the parallel activities of the Greek Presidency of the Council of the European Union during the first semester of the year.
The exhibits shed light on the middle Byzantine Thessaloniki and on the largely unknown 9th century, the spiritual and cultural background of Thessaloniki and Constantinople, the diplomatic, missionary and cultural activity of Saints Cyril and Methodius among the Slavs of today?s Central Europe, and finally the impact of their work. Apart from a rich visual material, the display is enriched by selected original exhibits from the collections of the Museum of Byzantine Culture, the 9th and 10th Ephorates of Byzantine Antiquities and the Georgios Tsolozidis private collection. The largest part of this material is presented to the public for the first time and it comes from recent excavations.
At the same time, this temporary exhibition that is inaugurated and is displayed on the ground level of the ?Kyriakos Krokos? temporary exhibitions hall introduces the visitor to the photographic exhibition of manuscripts under the title ?The light of letters?, hosted since November 2013 on the upper floor of this same hall, within the framework of the celebration of 2013 as the Saints Cyril and Methodius Year, which was proclaimed by the Municipality of Thessaloniki.
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