Cyrillic script

Cyrillic script was officially adopted by the Bulgarians in 893. It was derived from the Glagothic script invented by Saint Cyril, a monk from Byzantium. Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius are credited with spreading Christianity among the Slavs in southern Europe in the ninth century.

A disciple of Methodius invented Cyrillic, which was easier than Glagothic script to learn and was more like the Greek alphabet.

Glagothic and Cyrillic script co-existed for several centuries. The Cyrillic alphabet, like its Latin counterpart has Greek roots, being based on the ninth-century uncial script.

Through the ages, it has been modified several times and what is use now in Russian differs from its earlier forms.

The Cyrillic alphabet originally consisted of 43 letters. Various smaller version of this alphabet are currently used in Russia (32 letters), Ukraine (33 letters), Serbia (30 letters) and Bulgarian (30 letters).
Cyrillic script