I wanted to fulfill an old desire of mine, which is to compile a text on the work of Theophanes that is concise and substantive, which I will accompany with extensive illustrations representative of Theophanes' artistic activity in Meteora and Mount Athos during the period of 1527-1546. The main goal is to summarize the results of scientific research, both past and recent, which is primarily due to the work of the late academic M. Chatzidakis and secondarily to my own.

Specifically, this book is the result of my long-term involvement with the artistic activity of the prominent 16th-century painter Theophanes at Mount Athos and Meteora, in the capacity of curator of Byzantine antiquities and head of the relevant Byzantine Antiquities Directorate for Mount Athos. In this capacity, I worked from 1976 on the research, conservation, and photography of frescoes and portable icons by Theophanes, which I identified in the monasteries of Varlaam, Megisti Lavra, Iviron, Pantokrator, Koutloumousiou, Stavronikita, and Grigoriou, resulting in a series of publications with new information about the artistic activity of this great painter in Meteora and Mount Athos.

For this reason, I must express my heartfelt thanks to the aforementioned monasteries for their many years of fruitful collaboration and their multifaceted support of my work, both official and scientific.

Evthymios N. Tsigaridas was born in Vlasti, a historical community in Western Macedonia. He studied history and archaeology at the Faculty of Philosophy of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Theology at the Theological School of the same University. From the early 1967 until 1996, he initially served as a Curator and later as Director of Byzantine Antiquities at the Byzantine Museum of Athens, in Epirus, Aetolia-Acarnania, the Ionian Islands, Macedonia, and for a long time at Mount Athos.

During his long tenure at the Archaeological Service, he was involved in the protection, restoration, research, study, and scientific promotion of the monumental wealth of northern Greece, especially Mount Athos, Thessaloniki, Kastoria, Veria, Serres, Siatista, and others. At the same time, he organized the conservation of numerous portable icons, manuscript codices, and frescoes in the monasteries of Mount Athos, as well as in churches and mansions of the above cities.

From 1977 to 1979, he attended courses in Byzantine history, archaeology, and art at the Sorbonne University (Paris I), where he received a diploma of postgraduate studies (D.E.A.), and at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes. In 1984, he was awarded a doctorate from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and in 1989 he was elected professor of Christian Archaeology and Art at the Theological School of the same University, a position he left in 2004 as an emeritus professor.

His scientific activity is rich and internationally recognized. He has published many articles in Greek and international scientific journals, as well as in the Proceedings of Conferences held in Greece, European countries, the USA, and Australia, in which he participated with presentations. He has also published eleven monographs, three of which were in collaboration with other scholars, and a large number of entries in scientific catalogues of exhibitions in Greece and abroad related to Byzantine and post-Byzantine art.

In 1987, for his book "The frescoes of the Monastery of Latomou (Saint David) Thessaloniki and Byzantine painting of the 12th century," he was awarded a prize from the Academy of Athens. Additionally, as a member of special committees of the Ministry of Culture, he participated in organizing exhibitions of Christian relics in Greece and abroad. Also, as a scientific advisor, he actively participated in the organization of the Exhibition “Treasures of Mount Athos” in 1997. He was also a member of the honorary scientific committee of the Exhibition “Byzantium 330-1453” organized at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 2008. He is a lifetime member of the Archaeological Society at Athens and a member of the Christian Archaeological Society and the Society for Macedonian Studies. He has also served for several years as vice president of the Christian Archaeological Society, the Foundation for Research of the Aegean Peninsula, a member of the Board of Directors of the Society for Macedonian Studies, the Patriarchal Foundation for Patristic Studies, and the Center for the Preservation of Athonite Heritage.