Biography Famous works Creation of the “Trinity” What is depicted in the “Trinity” Where to watch the works of Andrei Rublev The film “Andrei Rublev” Canonization
Biography
The exact date and place of birth of Andrei Rublev are unknown. Historians believe that he was born in 1360 in the territory of the Moscow Principality (other sources indicate that the artist’s birthplace was Veliky Novgorod). Andrey is the monastic name of the painter; his secular name is not known for sure. According to researchers, it also began with the letter A. On one of the master’s later icons, the signature “Andrey Ivanov, son of Rublev” was preserved, according to which the artist’s father was called Ivan. However, most historians believe that the signature is a forgery.
Information about Rublev’s family is extremely scarce. According to some sources, the icon painter came from a family of craftsmen: the nickname Rublev comes from the word “rubel” – in the old days the device for tanning leather was called so. But in the Middle Ages, only noble and educated people wore reklo (the prototype of the modern surname). Reliable information about Rublev’s childhood and youth has not been preserved either. Historians believe that he grew up in a secular environment, receiving painting training from the masters of Byzantium and Bulgaria.
Notable works
According to the “Tale of the Holy Icon Painters” (XVII century), Rublev lived in the Trinity Monastery under Nikon of Radonezh, a disciple and successor of St. Sergius of Radonezh. Here, according to one version, he took monastic orders. However, some sources claim that Rublev was a monk in Moscow, in the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery, whose abbot at that time was another disciple of Sergius of Radonezh, Abbot Andronik.
The first mention of Rublev in historical documents dates back to 1405. The “Trinity Chronicle” says that by order of Grand Duke Vasily Dmitrievich (the eldest son of Dmitry Donskoy), the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin was painted by an artel headed by three masters: icon painter Theophanes the Greek, the elder Prokhor Gorodets and the monk Andrei Rublev. According to the customs of that time, the youngest member of the artel was placed last in the list of masters, but the mention of Rublev’s name indicates that by that time he was already considered an experienced master.
The second time Rublev’s name was mentioned in connection with the painting of the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir in 1408. The chronicle says that the artist worked on the frescoes of the cathedral together with the monk and icon painter Daniil Cherny, whom the chronicler calls Rublev’s “friend and assistant” (a joint fast is a companion in fasting). Cherny’s name is mentioned first in the chronicle, which means that Daniil was the eldest in age or rank. In 1420, Rublev’s name was mentioned in the chronicle for the third time – and again together with the name of Cherny: the artists worked on the painting of the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery (the work has not survived). According to some sources, Cherny was at first Rublev’s teacher and artistic mentor, and the “Tale of the Holy Icon Painters” says that they were friends for at least a quarter of a century and inseparably continued their work in icon painting.
The last years of Rublev’s life were associated with the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery in Moscow. There he created his fourth work, known from the chronicles – the frescoes of the Spassky Cathedral (only fragments of ornamental frescoes have survived to this day). The icon painter died of the plague on January 29, 1430. Rublev was buried in the Andronikov Monastery, but his burial place was lost in the second half of the 18th century.
In addition, Rublev’s brush is remembered for a number of works, including the icon “Our Lady of Vladimir” in the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir and part of the icons of the Annunciation Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin – in particular, “Annunciation”, “Nativity” and “Baptism”.
The creation of the “Trinity”
Rublev began to create his most famous work, the Trinity icon, in 1411 (according to other sources, it happened in 1427). It is not known for certain which church the icon was intended for: for the early wooden cathedral of the Trinity Monastery or for the stone cathedral built in its place. It is believed that Rublev wrote “Trinity” for the Trinity-Sergius Monastery (now the Trinity-Sergius Lavra) at the request of Abbot Nikon, who ordered the icon in memory of his teacher and founder of the monastery, St. Sergius of Radonezh.
The icon was first mentioned in the scattered books of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery of 1639 and 1673, which, in turn, quoted the books of 1574-1575. According to these records, the “Trinity” was located in the iconostasis of the Trinity Cathedral – the place where the temple icon was located (a temple icon is an icon depicting a holiday or saint in honor of which the temple was consecrated) .
Those depicted in the “Trinity”
The theme of the “Trinity” describes an incident in the Old Testament in which God appeared to Abraham in the form of three angels (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit). During a meal at Abraham’s home, the angels informed him of the approaching birth of his son Isaac, from whom “a great and mighty nation will come.”
Unlike other medieval icon painters who traditionally depicted this subject as an everyday scene, Rublev removed all everyday details from his work and focused specifically on the appearance of the Holy Trinity. It is noteworthy that the artist depicted a certain symbol behind each angel: behind the left is a building (church), behind the right is a mountain (kingdom of heaven), in the middle is an oak tree (tree of life ).
Thus, Rublev’s “Trinity” is fundamentally different from previous versions of iconography: it is perceived precisely as a prayer image, aimed not at a story about one event, but at a holistic, powerful spiritual experience.
Where to watch Andrei Rublev’s works?
The most famous work of Rublev – the icon of the Holy Trinity – is today in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. From the moment of its creation, it was kept in the Trinity Monastery, and in 1904 the icon was discovered by collector Ilya Ostroukhov, who later became the head of the Tretyakov Gallery. At his request, the “Trinity” was restored, and since 1929 it has been part of the permanent collection of the Tretyakov Gallery. In May 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin donated the icon to the Russian Orthodox Church: in January 2024, the “Trinity” was exhibited in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and on June 23, 2024, on the Day of the Holy Trinity, it was returned to its historical place in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra
Rublev’s frescoes can be seen in the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir. However, since the cathedral itself was repeatedly completed and restored, only individual episodes of the “Last Judgment” and fragments of the painting in the altar have survived from the painting by Rublev and Cherny.
The last works of the master, created in the Spassky Cathedral of the Andronikov Monastery, have been lost. However, according to some researchers, the floral ornaments on the window slopes, which have survived to this day because they were covered with brick for a long time, could have been made by Rublev. Next to the cathedral is the Museum of the Old Russian Center of Culture and Art named after Andrei Rublev, where you can see icons, frames and church books of different periods.
According to some researchers, not only icons and frescoes, but also book miniatures written by Rublev for the Hitrov Gospel have survived to this day. In particular, the name of the master is associated with the image of an angel, the symbol of the Evangelist Matthew (with Matthew, experts in miniature find stylistic similarities with the images of Rublev in the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir). The book was previously kept in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and now it can be seen in the Russian State Library.
The movie “Andrei Rublev”
In 1966, director Andrei Tarkovsky made the film “Andrei Rublev”. The film was originally going to be called “Andrei’s Passion”, which Tarkovsky wrote together with Andrei Konchalovsky. The film, consisting of independent short stories, tells the story of the life, lifestyle and spiritual life of medieval Russia. In the Soviet Union, the film received mixed reactions: some critics admired the film’s artistic power and deep philosophical content, while others criticized it for its darkness and cruelty. The authorities were concerned about the film’s depiction of difficult and violent aspects of Russian history, which led to a five-year delay in its release. Alexander Solzhenitsyn also criticized “Andrei Rublev” – in his opinion, the film failed to convey the spirit of the era.
“Even that breath of life is nowhere in the film and in no one, not even in Rublev, not even in the scene with the deceased Theophan the Greek. Instead, an ugly chain of cruelty is stretched out. Solzhenitsyn wrote that if you were to search for the general characteristic of the film in one word, it would probably be “gutless.”
In the West, the film was more positively received. At Cannes in 1969, where the film was shown out of competition, Andrei Rublev was praised for his courage and artistic achievement. Western critics praised Tarkovsky for his ability to combine historical accuracy with poetic visual aesthetics, and for the depth and complexity of his philosophical thoughts.
Despite mixed reviews, Andrei Rublev eventually gained status as one of the greatest films in the history of cinema. Its influence is still felt in the work of many directors today, and the film itself continues to be studied and discussed as an example of extraordinary artistry and deep philosophical inquiry.
Canonization
On June 17, 1988, on the day of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus, Andrei Rublev was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. According to the Orthodox calendar, the saint is commemorated three times a year: July 17 (July 4 according to the old calendar) – the death of St. Andrei (Rublev) of Moscow, July 19 (July 6 according to the old calendar) – the memory of St. Andrei (Rublev) of Moscow in the Cathedral of the Saints of Radonezh, and the week before September 8 (August 26 according to the old calendar) – the memory of St. Andrei (Rublev) in the Moscow Cathedral of Saints of Moscow.
At the same time, the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church did not make a decision on the canonization of Rublev for a long time. Only in 2009, 20 years after the canonization of the icon painter by the Russian Orthodox Church, did the Old Believers canonize Rublev. The Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church celebrates the icon painter’s Memorial Day on January 29, the day of Rublev’s death.