The significance of the Sirmian and apostolic tradition in shaping Moravian episcopal organization

Based on an analysis of papal documents as well as the Vita Methodii , this work examines shifts in Methodius's status. The text analyses the significance of his titulature by a comparison with other eighth- and ninth-century missionaries, and examines the way his new diocese was legitimized through legal and historical fictions dealing with the restoration of a long-lost see and its apostolic origins. Finally, the article draws a comparison between the situation in Moravia and the importance of apostolic tradition in Rome, Constantinople, Metz, Compostela and Venice.