I santi Cirillo e Metodio nella pubblicistica russa degli anni quaranta dell’Ottocento

Saints Cyril and Methodius in 1840’s Russian journalism In 1843 Alexandr Gorsky’s essay O sv. Kirille i Mefodii was printed for the first time on the literary review «Moskvityanin». The publication immediately had a positive impact on the Slavic studies in Russia, as it gained the general approval of the whole scientific community, within the borders of the Empire, as well as outside. The essay per se was a critical study of Saints Cyril and Methodius’ Slavic Lives, showing an exceptionally rigorous and lucid approach. Nevertheless, it appeared in a period characterized by the general revival of the Brothers’ cultural heritage, as well as the rediscovery of its ideological potential for the present. Moreover, the publication of Gorsky’s essay was part of a plan of a wider scope, as «Moskvityanin» head editor, Mikhail Pogodin, aimed to the publication of several possible contents regarding the history and the languages of the Slavs. In order to shed light on the meaning of these topics for Russian history of thought, this paper aims to contextualize Gorskij’s essay, along with other texts, printed by Pogodin in the 1840’s. It takes into consideration two main aspects: Pogodin’s ideological – thus editorial – direction stated on the «Moskvityanin» and the background offered by the history of both Russian journalism and censorship.