The Sacred Brush of the Cretan Monk In the golden, sun-drenched era of the 17th century, a period defined by the profound intersection of Byzantine tradition and Venetian splendor, the name Philotheos Skoufos emerged as a vital bridge between two worlds. Born in Chania, Crete, between 1615 and 1625, Skoufos was not merely a painter but a man of deep spiritual conviction—a monk, an educator, and a clergyman whose life was as much defin…