An icon is a specific kind of painting in the Catholic Orthodox Church, also called The Eastern Church (as opposed to the Western/Latin Church, which is the Roman Catholic Church). The specific character of icons lies in the fact that they are meant to represent the mysteries of Christian faith, and in that way icons are sacred paintings. The most famous among the icons of the Eastern Church are, among others, this icon of the Holy Trinity of Andrei Rublev, the icon of the Mother of God (Théotokos) of Vladimir, the icon of the Nativity of the School of Novgorod, the icon of the Transfiguration of Théophanus the Greek. Icons are painted with paints made of natural materials; for example, the yellow colour is made of egg yolk, the blue colour, a certain kind of flower, the red colour, a certain kind of fruit. Icon painters make their icons while interiorly saying their prayer, what is usually called “the Jesus Prayer” (by continuously repeating the sacred name of Jesus). They do this in order that those who will pray using the icon will be able to understand and live out the mystery depicted in the icon. As the mystery is characterized by its infinity, icons are not to be framed, or the infinite character of the mystery will be lost. Icons should be hung on a piece of wood without any frame.
Andrei Rublev, a monk of the Orthodox Church of the Byzantine Rite in Russia, made his icon of the Holy Trinity between1410-1425. Before him some other people had painted icons of the Holy Trinity to teach the faithful about the mystery of God the Trinity which was generally very difficult to understand, as they were common, simple folks. They were also meant to counteract some heresies opposing the Church doctrine of the Holy Trinity, such as Arianism. The icon painters found an image of the Holy Trinity in the biblical story of Abraham’s hospitality to the three mysterious visitors mentioned in Gen 18:1-22. The previous painters usually drew the whole scene, including Abraham and Sarah; some of them inserted the servant cutting the calf in the background. But Andrei Rublev purposely left the unnecessary details out in order not to distract the viewers from the main focus, that is, the Holy Trinity. He has kept only some of them and given new meaning to them; for example, the tent of Abraham is now the house of God, the eternal Kingdom; the oak of Mamre is now a symbol of the tree of the cross of Christ. The head of the calf is now put in the cup on the middle of the table to signify the blood of the Eucharist, the blood of the Lamb of God, the Saviour of the world.
The geniality of Andrei Rublev makes his icon of the Holy Trinity “icon of all icons,” as it is considered to have the greatest artistic and theological values. Its beauty lies, first of all, in its capability to depict the trinitarian character of God, one in three: one God in three Persons; and we can also see in it that the three Persons of the Holy Trinity are equal and one in nature and essence. This is portrayed by the love, peace, calm, rest, and harmony which shine out from the three Angels who sit at the same table having some dialogue. The scepters at the hand of each of them are symbols of their dignity as kings: the three of them are equal in their dignity as a king. Whereas the light colours of the robes of the three Angels are meant to show that they are weightless, as they are not beings made of matter, but are Spirits. The same light colours are also used in the edges of the painting to show that the Holy Trinity is an infinite mystery; one can continue to penetrate on it endlessly.
As to which Angel refers to which Person of the Trinity, in general people can easily see that the Angel on the right is the Holy Spirit, with blue and green robes, symbol of freshness and rejuvenation, as He is the Consoler who renews and restores souls. Whereas the figure of the Son is usually represented by the middle Angel, which is shown by the two fingers pointing to the two natures of the Son of God who came down on earth in the person of Jesus Christ, namely, the divine nature and the human nature. Besides, on top of the middle Angel there is a picture of a tree, symbolizing the tree of the cross on which Christ died in order to save mankind from sin and death. The Angel on the left is to represent God the Father, with the picture of the house, symbolizing the eternal Kingdom of God. Moreover, the heads of the other two Angels are bent toward Him, a sign of their submission to His authority. It is also very interesting to see that this icon is able to portray the dialogue between God the Father and His Only Son about the plan of salvation to be carried out by the Son: the Father intends to send His Son to save the world by becoming a man, and the Son obeys the Father’s will: both the Father and the Son bless the cup containing the blood on the table, the blood of the New Covenant in Christ Jesus. In this way this icon presents at the same time the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God and the Redemption of mankind from eternal damnation through His suffering, death and resurrection.
Therefore, to honour and worship God the Holy Trinity and His glorious and profound mysteries, in their Divine Office the members of the Orthodox Church sing the prayer Trisagion (meaning: three times holy), which is the prayer of the angels and the saints in heaven (Apoc 4:8), to express the ineffable holiness of God,
O thrice holy, O Lord mighty, O God immortal, have mercy on us.
Glory to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Always, both now and forever, and for ages to come. Amen.
O Most Holy Trinity: have mercy on us.
O Lord: cleanse us from our sins.
O Master: pardon our transgressions.
O Holy One: visit and heal our infirmities; for Thy Name’s sake.
Sr. Marietta, P.Karm