Having full awareness 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 on Mount Athos decided to publish, first in French and subsequently in English, a modern translation of the Synaxarion for the needs of Orthodox missionary work worldwide.

This laborious yet essential endeavor was undertaken by the Most Reverend Hieromonk Fr. Makarios of Simonopetra, a scholar of foreign languages and a dedicated student of hagiological topics. From the outset, it was determined that this work could not be limited to a mere translation or adaptation of the Synaxarion of Constantinople, even that of the well-known circulating work of Saint Nicodemus the Athonite.

In order for this hagiology to meet the demands of the contemporary, particularly the Western reader, as well as to impart a more universal character to 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 crept into the Synaxarion over time, but also enabled the completion of many brief biographies and the addition of memories of Byzantine Saints who had not yet found their place in the classic Synaxaria.

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

Along the way, the translation work evolved into an original composition of a true New Synaxarion, which today appears to be the most complete and up-to-date Orthodox hagiological collection, as it includes all Saints recognized by the Church up until the year 2000.