Symeon the Metaphrast
10th century Byzantine historian and hagiographer
Feast: 9 November (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Symeon, called the Metaphrast or 'compiler', lived in the second half of the tenth century and was the chief compiler of the lives of the saints in the menologies of the Byzantine Church. Michael Psellus says he was a high officer of state and a favourite of the emperor, at whose command he made his collection; most scholars identify him with Symeon Magister the Logothete, author of a chronicle.
His collection of legends, arranged by the saints' feast days, made his name one of the best known among medieval Greek writers. Once mocked as a fabricator, he was shown by later scholars to be a careful compiler who used the sources available to him. The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that he is honoured as a saint in the Orthodox Church, on 28 November.
The miracles
The Catholic Encyclopedia does not describe any miracles or a formal cause.
Why that counted as sanctity
The Byzantine compiler of the great collection of saints' lives.
Connected on this site
- Anysia of Salonika Saint“Anysia's biography is related by Symeon the Metaphrast in a volume of his work published in 947; according to hagiographer Alban Butler, Anysia's story lacks historical confirmation.” — Wikipedia
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Symeon Metaphrastes
- Wikidata Q439491 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Symeon the Metaphrast (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.