The Slavonic alphabet was born in Macedonia, where the Macedonian educators Cyril and Methody , and Clement and Naum played an important part in the spread of Christianity. Macedonian builders and mosaic masters shone like a bright star in the dark period of European culture prior to the Renaissance. The Basilica Mosaic in Heraclea Lyncestis is one of the most famous mosaics of antiquity. There are many remains from Roman times and the early Christian period.
Macedonian cities have an imposing number of churches.
The famous architects and fresco-painters worked on numerous churches, and in Ohrid alone their number exceeds 30. Several churches, the most renowned among which is St. Pantelejmon, bear witness to the times of the educator St. Clement. The churches and other cultural monuments built between the 11th and 12th cenbturies are characterized by unique architecture and priceless frescoes and icons, famous throughout the world. Ohrid was the cradle of Slavonic literacy, which the brothers Cyril and Methody and later their students spread to other Slav peoples starting from the 9th century. One of the best known historical monunments is the Church of St. Sophia, the former Cathedral of the Archbishopric of Ohrid .