Fully aware that the lives of the Saints have always constituted the daily nourishment of all Orthodox believers, alongside the Holy Scriptures, since 1987 the Holy Monastery of Simonopetra in Mount Athos has decided to publish, first in French and subsequently in English, a contemporary translation of the Synaxarion, for the needs of the Orthodox mission worldwide.

This laborious yet essential task has been undertaken by the Very Reverend Hieromonk Fr. Makarios Simonopetrites, a knowledgeable linguist and a scholar of hagiological subjects. From the outset, it became evident that this work could not be limited to a simple translation or adaptation of the Synaxarion of Constantinople, even that of the well-known circulating work of the holy Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain.

In order for this hagiology to meet the demands of contemporary readers, particularly the Western audience, and to reflect the more universal character of the Orthodox Church, it was necessary to revise the texts based on the most authentic hagiological sources.

This time-consuming work not only allowed for the correction of certain errors that had gradually crept into the Synaxarion but also enabled the inclusion of many concise biographies and the addition of memories of Byzantine Saints who had not yet found their place in the classical Synaxaria.

To give a truly pan-Orthodox character to this collection, the Saints of all the local canonical Orthodox Churches (Russia, Serbia, Romania, Georgia, Bulgaria, etc.) were included, as well as the recently recognized Saints from all Orthodox Churches, which have particularly increased after the fall of the communist system.

Along the way, the translation work transformed into an original composition of a genuine New Synaxarion, which today appears to be the most comprehensive and up-to-date Orthodox hagiological collection, encompassing all Saints recognized by the Church until the year 2000.