Bronze Statue of St. Cyril and Methodius to Be Installed at Bratislava Castle

Bratislava, June 15 (TASR) - A bronze statue of Saints Cyril, Methodius and Gorazd more than four metres high, donated to the citizens of Slovakia by the Slovak Bishops Conference, will be installed in the premises of Bratislava Castle, the press department of the Parliament's Office has told TASR, adding that the installation should be carried out in the upcoming weeks, with the statue due to be unveiled on September 15. The project was originally prepared by the Catholic Church for 2012 when the country marked the 1,150th anniversary of the faith proclaimers' arrival in our territory. However, it wasn't implemented due to the disapproving position of the then Bratislava City Council representatives. Subsequently, the Church offered it to Parliamentary Chair Boris Kollar (We Are Family) in connection with Pope Francis' visit to Slovakia in 2021 and he accepted it. A model of the sculpture was presented to the Pope himself. "As the Holy Father liked the prepared project, he gave his papal blessing to the intention," said the press department. The Parliament's Office started installing the statue in the premises of the Bratislava Castle's Eastern Terrace on Wednesday (June 14) and the work should continue in the coming weeks. The statue is to be unveiled and consecrated on September 15, to mark the second anniversary of Pope Francis' visit to Slovakia. ko/mcs