“Trinity” is being prepared for the Liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior

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. Andrey Rublev’s “Trinity” arrived at the cathedral in a special transport late in the evening of June 3 – at 20.20 they brought it 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 at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior for a year, and after that it would be transferred here – to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. In the morning he will hold a Liturgy at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, after which the faithful will be able to come closer to the icon and bow to the image.

Events around the “Trinity” unfold dramatically. The scythe found a stone – the museum community clashed with the Orthodox. But no matter how the restorers and the retired father Leonid Kalinin tried to convince him that it was dangerous to take the ancient monument out of the Tretyakov Gallery, the icon was nevertheless moved. The question of how long she will stay in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior remains open: the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation said that until June 18, contrary to the announcement of the Patriarch. Perhaps in two weeks she will return to the Tretyakov Gallery for a restoration inspection, in order to leave the museum again later. Time will show. 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 Apostles, compiled by the Evangelist Luke, the descent of the Holy Spirit took place on this day: in the Zion chamber, where the Lord celebrated the Last Supper, at the third hour of the day (the ninth according to modern accounts) “suddenly there was a noise from heaven, as if from a rushing strong 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 samples, 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 of 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 oak of Mamre in the form of three men, who were no doubt angels, although some believe that one of them was Christ, and maintain 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 thicket with a calf’s head: 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 virtue pleasing to God. The house behind the left angel is, in fact, 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 in 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, author of books on the work of Andrei Rublev.

According to the Patriarch, it is obvious that the icon should become the very symbol of unity that is needed in troubled times. However, 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 passion for the Trinity, at least at the moment, has divided society rather than united it.