April 12, 2012

The Passion of Christ According to Theophanes the Cretan


Theophanes the Cretan (Θεοφάνης ο Κρης) was a leading icon painter of the Cretan school in the first half of the sixteenth century, and in particular the most important figure in Greek fresco-painting of the period. Frescoes bearing his signature survive in the Greek monasteries of Mt. Athos, especially Stavronikita Monastery and Great Lavra, and Meteora which has his earliest dated work, from 1527. In Stavronikita he depicted beautifully the entire Passion of Christ, which can be seen in part below: