There are many iconographers in the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church, but the most famous, of course, is Andrei Rublev. Probably everyone in Russia knows his name, even the most uneducated person, and outside Russia it is well known, especially after Tarkovsky’s film, but what do we know about the great iconographer? The famous historian of Christian art Irina Yazykova talks about this.
Andrei Rublev: A Saint and Revered Iconographer
By Irina Yazykova
By Irina Yazykova
Andrei Rublev’s happy fate
It is safe to say that fate was kind to Andrei Rublev. He gained fame and recognition while he was still among the living, and there are numerous mentions of him in historical chronicles.
Rublev’s customers included princes and large monasteries, and he lived and worked in Moscow, Vladimir, and Zvenigorod. He was not forgotten after his death; Rublev’s fame as Russia’s most eminent iconographer has survived through the centuries. The Stoglav Synod of 1551 recognized his works as a standard to emulate.
Joseph of Volotsk in his "Epistle to the Iconographer" also cites the example of Andrei Rublev and his associates, who "zealously applied themselves to icon painting and diligently engaged in fasting and monastic life, as they were vouchsafed Divine grace and thus thrived in Divine love, as to never occupy themselves about earthly things, but always to raise their minds and thoughts to the immaterial light, for even on the very feast of the Bright Resurrection of Christ, sitting on seats and having before you the Divine and honorable icons, and unswervingly gazing upon them, you are filled with Divine joy and brightness. And not just on that day I do this, but also on other days, when I don’t devote myself to painting. For this reason, the Lord Christ glorified them at the final hour of death.”
In the 17th century manuscript “The Tale of the Holy Icon Painters,” Andrei Rublev is called a holy ascetic and a seer of God. The Old Believers valued Rublev very much; collectors sought to acquire his works; in their eyes, he was the embodiment of canonical iconography and ancient piety. Thanks to this, even in the 19th century, when it would seem that icon painting was consigned to oblivion, the name of the ascetic icon painter was preserved as a standard of church art.
During the Soviet period, Rublev was a symbol of medieval Russian culture. In 1960 UNESCO held international events to mark Rublev’s 600th anniversary. There is a museum of medieval Russian art in Moscow named after Rublev. Meanwhile, scientists have studied meticulously the collection of his icons and frescoes in the Tretyakov Gallery.
Piecing together Rublev’s life
But what do we really know about the iconographer's life as a man of faith? Biographical information about him is extremely scant; researches have had to piece the story of his life together bit by tiny bit.
He was born in the 1360s, but it is impossible to determine a more precise date. The day of his death, however, is well known: it is January 29, 1430.
Those were dark times in Russia. The country was occupied by the Tatar invaders, who pillaged towns, churches and monasteries, and took people into slavery.
Meanwhile, the vassal Russian princes kept squabbling for power between themselves. Moscow and Nizhniy Novgorod had two epidemics of plague in 1364 and 1366. A large part of Moscow burned to the ground in the devastating fire of 1365. In 1378 the city was invaded by Lithuania’s Prince Algirdas, and there was a famine in 1371.
It is amid that chaos that the future creator of the images of heavenly harmony was brought up. Unfortunately, we know nothing about Rublev’s parents or his social background.
Nevertheless, the very fact that he even had a surname is quite telling, because at the time, only members of the nobility or very wealthy people had surnames. Besides, "Rublev” may be an indication of his forefathers' trade. The name Rublev probably derives from the verb rubit (to cut wood) or from the noun rubel, which can be either a long wooden pole or a tool used by tanners.
We don’t know where Rublev learned iconography, or who his teacher was. Neither is there any information about his early works. The first mention of Rublev is made in a 1405 chronicle, in which it states that the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin was decorated by a team of three craftsmen commissioned by Grand Duke Vasiliy Dmitrievich.
The craftsmen were Theophan the Greek, Prokhor the Elder from Gorodets, and the monk Andrei Rublev. The fact that Rublev’s name is mentioned at all in the chronicle suggests that he was already a highly respected craftsman at the time. But he is mentioned as the last of the three, which means that he was a junior member of the team.
Since Rublev was a monk, his fist name, Andrei, was probably given to him when he took the vows; his birth name must have been different. The vows were probably taken at the Trinity Monastery under Nikon of Radonezh, a disciple and successor of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh.
This is mentioned in chronicles dating back to the 18th century. Many of Rublev’s most famous works were created at the Trinity Monastery, or at the monastery’s commission. He spent his last years at the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery, which was founded by another of Sergius of Radonezh's disciples, Venrable Andronik.
But what do we really know about the iconographer's life as a man of faith? Biographical information about him is extremely scant; researches have had to piece the story of his life together bit by tiny bit.
He was born in the 1360s, but it is impossible to determine a more precise date. The day of his death, however, is well known: it is January 29, 1430.
Those were dark times in Russia. The country was occupied by the Tatar invaders, who pillaged towns, churches and monasteries, and took people into slavery.
Meanwhile, the vassal Russian princes kept squabbling for power between themselves. Moscow and Nizhniy Novgorod had two epidemics of plague in 1364 and 1366. A large part of Moscow burned to the ground in the devastating fire of 1365. In 1378 the city was invaded by Lithuania’s Prince Algirdas, and there was a famine in 1371.
It is amid that chaos that the future creator of the images of heavenly harmony was brought up. Unfortunately, we know nothing about Rublev’s parents or his social background.
Nevertheless, the very fact that he even had a surname is quite telling, because at the time, only members of the nobility or very wealthy people had surnames. Besides, "Rublev” may be an indication of his forefathers' trade. The name Rublev probably derives from the verb rubit (to cut wood) or from the noun rubel, which can be either a long wooden pole or a tool used by tanners.
We don’t know where Rublev learned iconography, or who his teacher was. Neither is there any information about his early works. The first mention of Rublev is made in a 1405 chronicle, in which it states that the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin was decorated by a team of three craftsmen commissioned by Grand Duke Vasiliy Dmitrievich.
The craftsmen were Theophan the Greek, Prokhor the Elder from Gorodets, and the monk Andrei Rublev. The fact that Rublev’s name is mentioned at all in the chronicle suggests that he was already a highly respected craftsman at the time. But he is mentioned as the last of the three, which means that he was a junior member of the team.
Since Rublev was a monk, his fist name, Andrei, was probably given to him when he took the vows; his birth name must have been different. The vows were probably taken at the Trinity Monastery under Nikon of Radonezh, a disciple and successor of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh.
This is mentioned in chronicles dating back to the 18th century. Many of Rublev’s most famous works were created at the Trinity Monastery, or at the monastery’s commission. He spent his last years at the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery, which was founded by another of Sergius of Radonezh's disciples, Venrable Andronik.
A standard of ecclesiastical art
Andrei Rublev was involved in the circle of Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, the great teacher of monasticism, who played a huge role in the spiritual awakening of Rus'. Sergius or his disciples were able to convey to Andrei the experience of deep prayer and silence, that contemplative practice that is usually called hesychasm, and in Rus' was called “noetic action.” Hence the prayerful depth of Rublev’s icons, their deep theological meaning, their special heavenly beauty and harmony.
The second mention of Rublev’s name is made in a 1408 chronicle in connection with the decoration of the Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir.
Rublev worked on that project with another iconographer, Daniil Cherny, who is described as Rublev’s “friend and fellow-faster." Cherny was also a monk, probably a Greek or a Serb, as his last name suggests.
Cherny is mentioned first in the chronicle, meaning that he was either the elder of the two, or held the more senior rank. He figures prominently in Rublev’s subsequent life.
The Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir was one of the main cathedrals of the Russian Church, so decorating it was an extremely important project.
The cathedral itself was built in the 12th century, but all its frescoes and icons were lost in 1238 during the Tatar-Mongol occupation. Grand Duke Vasiliy Dmitrievich therefore commissioned a restoration project.
In the mid-1420s Rublev and Cherny oversaw another project at the Trinity Cathedral of the Troitse-Sergiev Monastery. The frescoes have been lost, but the iconostasis has survived.
Rublev’s famous Trinity icon, which is regarded as the highest artistic expression of the Trinitarian Dogma, was also created for the Trinity Cathedral. According to the chronicles, Nikon of Radonezh commissioned the icon “in memory and praise of the Venerable Sergius.”
The icon of the Holy Trinity embodies the pure prayer of Venerable Andrei, which was taught to him by his spiritual teacher, Sergius, who bequeathed “to conquer the hated discord of this world by looking at the Holy Trinity.” In the form of three angels, the Trinitarian God appears before us: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and in their silent conversation the mystery of Christ’s sacrifice, offered for the salvation of mankind, is revealed. Truly, Andrei Rublev was a visionary of God: only a person who had repeatedly contemplated this mystery of Divine Triune Love in prayer could paint the image of the Trinity in this way.
He spent his last years at the Spaso-Andonikov Monastery. Unfortunately, the frescoes and icons of the monastery’s Spassky Cathedral created by Rublev have not survived.
Shortly after Rublev’s death in the 15th century, locals began to revere him as Venerable Andrei the Iconographer at the Troitse-Sergiev and Spaso-Andronikov monasteries, where he had spent many years. He was canonized a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1988.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
Andrei Rublev was involved in the circle of Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, the great teacher of monasticism, who played a huge role in the spiritual awakening of Rus'. Sergius or his disciples were able to convey to Andrei the experience of deep prayer and silence, that contemplative practice that is usually called hesychasm, and in Rus' was called “noetic action.” Hence the prayerful depth of Rublev’s icons, their deep theological meaning, their special heavenly beauty and harmony.
The second mention of Rublev’s name is made in a 1408 chronicle in connection with the decoration of the Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir.
Rublev worked on that project with another iconographer, Daniil Cherny, who is described as Rublev’s “friend and fellow-faster." Cherny was also a monk, probably a Greek or a Serb, as his last name suggests.
Cherny is mentioned first in the chronicle, meaning that he was either the elder of the two, or held the more senior rank. He figures prominently in Rublev’s subsequent life.
The Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir was one of the main cathedrals of the Russian Church, so decorating it was an extremely important project.
The cathedral itself was built in the 12th century, but all its frescoes and icons were lost in 1238 during the Tatar-Mongol occupation. Grand Duke Vasiliy Dmitrievich therefore commissioned a restoration project.
In the mid-1420s Rublev and Cherny oversaw another project at the Trinity Cathedral of the Troitse-Sergiev Monastery. The frescoes have been lost, but the iconostasis has survived.
Rublev’s famous Trinity icon, which is regarded as the highest artistic expression of the Trinitarian Dogma, was also created for the Trinity Cathedral. According to the chronicles, Nikon of Radonezh commissioned the icon “in memory and praise of the Venerable Sergius.”
The icon of the Holy Trinity embodies the pure prayer of Venerable Andrei, which was taught to him by his spiritual teacher, Sergius, who bequeathed “to conquer the hated discord of this world by looking at the Holy Trinity.” In the form of three angels, the Trinitarian God appears before us: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and in their silent conversation the mystery of Christ’s sacrifice, offered for the salvation of mankind, is revealed. Truly, Andrei Rublev was a visionary of God: only a person who had repeatedly contemplated this mystery of Divine Triune Love in prayer could paint the image of the Trinity in this way.
He spent his last years at the Spaso-Andonikov Monastery. Unfortunately, the frescoes and icons of the monastery’s Spassky Cathedral created by Rublev have not survived.
Shortly after Rublev’s death in the 15th century, locals began to revere him as Venerable Andrei the Iconographer at the Troitse-Sergiev and Spaso-Andronikov monasteries, where he had spent many years. He was canonized a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1988.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
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