Metropolitan Bishop
Saint Simeon (Stephen), Metropolitan of Transylvania, studied at the Academic College in Alba Iulia and became a monk in the Romanian monastery of the same city. In 1643, he was elected Metropolitan of Ardeal with a residence in Alba Iulia. During his pastoral ministry, the first complete Romanian translation of the New Testament, known as the 'Bălgrad' (1648), was printed, with a preface by Metropolitan Simeon, in which the issue of the unity of the Romanian language was raised. In 1651, a 'Psalter' in Romanian was published. The saint departed to the Lord in June-July 1656 in Alba Iulia. He was canonized by the Romanian Orthodox Church on July 21, 2011. He was included in the Menologion of the Russian Orthodox Church by the decision of the Holy Synod on March 7, 2018, with the determination of the celebration of his memory on May 7.
