St. Clement Monument, Ohrid

The birthplace of Saint Clement is uncertain. He died in Ohrid, then part of the Bulgarian Empire, in 916. A scholar, writer, missionary, and teacher, he was one of the most important disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius. Although Clement has sometimes been credited with creating the Cyrillic alphabet, modern scholarship generally considers it more likely that Cyrillic was developed at the Preslav Literary School. Clement’s great contribution was in spreading Slavic literacy, literature, and Christian teaching. Under the patronage of Boris I of Bulgaria, he established schools, trained clergy, and promoted Christian worship in Old Church Slavonic.

Saint Clement is regarded as the founder of the Ohrid Literary School, which became an important center of Slavic literacy, education, and religious culture. He remains one of the most revered figures in the religious and cultural history of the region. He is especially honored as a patron of Slavic literacy and education and as the patron saint of Ohrid.

The monumental statue of Saint Clement stands on a marble plinth, cradling a model of Ohrid in his left arm. He studies the model while beckoning the observer forward with his raised right hand. “Come here, look at this,” he seems to be saying. The monument, created by sculptor Tome Serafimovski, was unveiled in 2006.