Home

BLESSED TRINITY SUNDAY

The icon depicts the Holy Trinity by representing the Biblical scene of three men appearing to Abraham at the Oak of Mambre. To show they belong to the heavenly world, they are depicted as three winged angels, but the circumstances of their appearance are passed over in silence. The cosmos is represented in the background by a mountain and tree – the tree of life – and Abraham’s house is seen, because the main focus lies not in the Biblical meaning but in its dogma, or theological teaching. Just before Rublev’s time the historical aspect of the event was more dominant, as Sarah was often depicted serving the calf, objects on the table, and Abraham entertaining the guests or serving them with Sarah. But in Rublev’s icon the treatment is reduced to the essentials, because it excludes these other details. The visiting angels sit in quiet conversation, the table becomes an altar with only the Eucharistic cup on it, and the oak tree and house become symbols. Geometrical structure, especially circles, creates a unity allowing for representing the Trinity as a movement of unity and love. The angels are grouped in order of symbols of faith, from left to right, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. The angel on the left wears a pale blue cloak with brown and blue-green highlights. He represents the Father blessing the chalice in a gesture indicating His will for the sorrowful mission of His Son as assigned to Him. The centre angel wears a purple undergarment and blue cloak, the customary colours used for depicting Christ on icons. His priestly function is symbolised by His wearing a stole and blessing the cup in a restrained gesture, indicating acceptance in humility and obedience to offer Himself as a sacrifice. The right hand angel is clothed in the principle colour of green, which Dioynsius, the Areopagite says signifies ‘youth, fullness of powers’ – thus suggesting properties of the Holy spirit. The elongated bodies of the angels are 14 times the head (instead of the normal 8). There is an invisible circle enfolding the three angels, and, wherever one looks, echoes of circles can be seen. The overall colour in this icon, with its tranquil blues and green, overlain with paler tones, combined with soft ivory white producing a transparent effect, shows forth harmony, unity and concord.