“Passion for the” Trinity “: the story of the icon divided society, but did not unite

It’s done. The “Trinity”, which had been under the supervision of restorers in the museum for a century, passed into the bosom of the Orthodox Church. It is not yet clear for how long – the statements of the Ministry of Culture and Patriarch Kirill differ in this regard. But it is clear that the situation has divided society into two camps – those who are categorically against the export, which could be fatal for a monument of ancient Russian art of the 15th century, and those who are fundamentally in favor, because they do not believe in the dangers predicted by experts. Who is right and who is wrong, time will tell. At the liturgy on the occasion of the feast of the Trinity, opponents continued to argue on the Web, while a huge crowd of believers gathered in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. In the ranks of which, as it turned out, there was also no unity on the scandalous issue. However, let’s talk about everything in order.

On June 4, on the day of the Holy Trinity, on the 50th day of Easter (Pentecost), the most famous icon in Rus’ was put up in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The “Trinity” arrived at the cathedral by special transport late in the evening the day before – on June 3 at 20.20 it was brought to the KhHS. The process of loading and unpacking the fragile masterpiece was published by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. The icon was installed in a pre-prepared capsule – the same one in which it was in the Lavra last summer and after which the restorers recorded a serious deterioration in the condition of the Trinity. A couple of hours before, Patriarch Kirill visited the Trinity Cathedral, where he bowed to the relics of Sergius of Radonezh and announced that the Rublev icon would remain in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior for a year, and then it would be transferred to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. However, the Ministry of Culture insisted on its own – to return the icon to the museum for at least inspection and prevention no later than June 19. The scythe found a stone – the museum community clashed with the Orthodox. Now we can only say with certainty that the Russian Orthodox Church and the patriarch personally did everything to ensure that the most famous icon in Rus’ got to worship on June 4th.

This day – the feast of the Holy Trinity, or Pentecost – is also called the birthday of the Church. According to the book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles, compiled by the Evangelist Luke, the descent of the Holy Spirit took place on this day: in the Zion Upper Room, where the Lord celebrated the Last Supper, at the third hour of the day (the ninth according to the modern account) “suddenly there was a noise from heaven, as if from a rushing mighty wind, and filled the whole house where they were. And divided tongues appeared to them, as if of fire, and rested one on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Tradition says that on this day, thousands of people believed and were baptized. Historians claim that the holiday was officially approved at the second Ecumenical Council in Constantinople in 381, where the doctrine of the Trinity was formulated: God is one in three persons – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

In Rus’, icons of the Trinity were painted even before Andrei Rublev, but his image is the first independent composition that does not copy Byzantine models, but offers its own symbolic image of the trinity of God. Every detail is filled with meaning. The heads of the angels are bowed in silent conversation, and the faces are similar, which speaks of the trinity of God. The plot of the icon refers to the book “Genesis” – the first Old Testament story about the appearance of the Lord to Abraham and his wife Sarah, which says that God is one in three persons. This biblical parable is a kind of prophecy of those events that happened, according to the scripture, later. “God appeared again to Abraham near the oaks of Mamre in the form of three men who were no doubt angels, although some believe that one of them was Christ, and claim that He was visible before He appeared in the flesh,” it is said in the Old Testament. It was these three men that the icon painter depicted. Behind the back of the central angel, the very oak of Mamre is visible – a symbol of wisdom. On the table, at which the angels are sitting, there is a bowl with the head of a calf: on the one hand, this is another reference to the parable of Abraham and Sarah (the host is hospitable and treats the angels), on the other hand, another symbol of Christ’s sacrifice and goodness, pleasing God. The house behind the left angel is actually the house of Abraham, the hill behind the right is the Temple Mount, where the first church was erected. However, the meaning of the “Trinity” is not limited to theological ideas, this landmark philosophical and artistic work, according to art critic Mikhail Altapov, raises a person “to the highest level”, where he “beholds the mystery of being.”

The master creates an image of spiritual “unanimity”, conquering darkness and gloom – an image of harmony, concord and love, where the earthly world is like paradise. The most striking thing about the icon is the composition: a circle “outlined” by the figures of angels, their glances, a table that symbolizes eternity and unity, perfection and peace. Rublyov’s “Trinity” is built on the principle of the “golden section”. “Everything depicted is imbued with a deep lyrical feeling and has a striking charm of inner enlightened beauty, which, like in the works of Raphael, captivates the modern viewer,” says Boris Dudochkin, an art historian, specialist in ancient Russian icon painting, and author of books about the work of Andrei Rublev.

According to the patriarch, it is obvious that the icon should have become the very symbol of unity, which is necessary in troubled times. In fact, polls show that 70% were against the transfer of a monument of ancient Russian art and believe that it can be prayed within the walls of the museum. “The Trinity passion, at least for the moment, has divided society rather than united it. And what do the believers themselves, who gathered on June 4 in the XXC, think?

“In any case, I would come to the service, it is important for me, but whether there will be Trinity or not, not at all,” said one of the parishioners. In the dense crowd of people, where the author of these lines stood for five hours in a row, no one ever mentioned the name of Rublev.

People began to gather at the temple from 8.30 in the morning. After 5 minutes they let me into the temple. Inside the cathedral, next to the icon, two employees of the Russian Guard were already standing – on the sides of the icon case with the shrine. More than ten fighters scattered around the temple. But the promised employee of the Tretyakov Gallery, who was supposed to closely monitor the museum masterpiece, flashed a couple of times, and nothing more. At the entrance, everyone’s belongings were checked just in case, and inside the cathedral it was forbidden to take pictures. However, this did not stop anyone. The priests themselves set an example, who, before the start of the liturgy, joyfully took pictures against the background of the display case with the icon and discussed something, peering into the image.

The audience was diverse. Lots of journalists and cameras. Families with small children. Several women dressed up in exotic (against the background of the rest) Russian-style sundresses and framed their heads with braids, like a headband. Many believers brought birch branches with them, as is customary for the feast of the Trinity. They also stood near the altar – on both sides, as tall as a man. Next to the icon in the kiot there is a list of Rublev’s “Trinity”, decorated with flowers and herbs. By the way, such a neighborhood for a fragile masterpiece can be unsafe. Another well-known case is the icon of the Bogolyubskaya Mother of God of the 12th century, next to the icon case of which flowers were placed – as a result, the ancient monument fell ill with a fungus and was treated for more than six years (it was saved by a miracle).

The service started late – at half past nine. They were waiting for the patriarch. At this time, several clergy walked around the temple with censers, and the space of the cathedral was enveloped in the aroma of incense. Patriarch Kirill arrived only after 10 am. Before he entered the temple through the main gate, there was absolute silence for about 10 minutes, the bishops in ceremonial green robes and purple kamilavkas trampled in front of the Trinity, lining up in a row at attention. Several dozen priests of the highest rank participated in the liturgy. But now, in the distance, echoes of the patriarch’s walkie-talkie were heard, after them the head of the Russian Orthodox Church appeared. Entering the cathedral, baring his head, he bowed to the Trinity, and then went up to the relics of St. Philaret, which are located to the right of the altar. The liturgy went on emotionally: someone was crying, someone was singing, someone was praying to himself with his eyes closed.

By noon, communion began, and the density of the crowd reached its limit. Here, believers felt all the temperature contrasts: on the one hand, the heat from the candles and human bodies pressed close to each other, on the other, the piercing chill from the air conditioners operating at full power. It is not clear to what extent these differences were felt by the fragile icon, located at the epicenter of the church festivity, but those present experienced all the delights of climatic contrasts.

“How hot!” One woman sighed heavily. “But something is shaking me,” shared another, from the edge of the crowd. “What if I die during the sacrament?” – the third joked sadly, squeezed between people so that she couldn’t breathe. “Let the pregnant woman go, she was completely beaten,” another pleaded, pointing to a tearful girl. The Cathedral of Christ the Savior is already packed, and people keep coming. However, none of the incidents (someone was pushed in the side, some had their leg crushed, some got hit by a birch branch) did not come to a conflict, all situations were resolved with Christian patience.

The climax was the part of the ceremony that followed the communion and sermon, when Patriarch Kirill read prayers, standing facing the Rublev Trinity. Here, even those who did not care about the presence of a genuine image (there was a list in flowers in the temple), took out their phones and began to photograph the historical moment. Here it is – the benefit performance of the “Trinity”, which really fascinated the audience. The action looked especially impressive and strange from above – it was from this point that the broadcast was carried out on a screen installed on the street. The patriarch is in front of the image in a black icon-case-cube and around it is a square of emptiness, framed by a close-knit crowd of praying people.

The ceremony ended after three o’clock. Some believers had already left the temple by that time, while others, on the contrary, arrived in order to get closer to Rublev’s masterpiece. All those who came had their own impressions – contrasting, like the temple air on that day and like the positions of opponents on the issue of handing over the fragile icon to the Russian Orthodox Church.