Ohrid Literary School, Ohrid

The Ohrid Literary School, also known as the Ohrid-Devol Literary School, was a significant cultural and educational center during the First Bulgarian Empire. It was established in Ohrid, which is presently located in North Macedonia. This school was one of two primary cultural hubs of the empire, alongside the Preslav Literary School, and was founded in 886 by Saint Clement of Ohrid under the directive of Boris I of Bulgaria. This founding occurred simultaneously or shortly after the creation of the Preslav Literary School.

The Ohrid Literary School also had satellite centers in several locations including Devol, in modern-day Albania, and other centers like Drembica, Glavinica, and Velika, whose precise locations remain unknown. These centers were all part of Kutmichevitsa, a province within the Bulgarian Empire at the time.

Saint Clement of Ohrid initially headed the school and after he was ordained as bishop of Drembica and Velika in 893, Naum of Preslav took over as the head. The school was notable for its use of the Glagolitic alphabet from its inception until the 12th century. Starting from the late 9th century, it also adopted the Cyrillic script, contributing significantly to the development and spread of these writing systems in the Slavic world.

The importance of the Ohrid Literary School increased further between 990 and 1015 when Ohrid served as the capital of the Bulgarian Empire and simultaneously as the seat of the Bulgarian Patriarchate. During this period, the school was at the center of religious, cultural, and literary activities, playing a pivotal role in the development of Medieval Slavic literature and education.