Holy Trinity Day: date, history of the holiday, congratulations. Feast of the Holy Trinity When will the Trinity be in 18

Orthodox Christians are preparing to celebrate one of the most important holidays - Holy Trinity Day (Trinity, Pentecost), and after him - Whit Monday.

When is Trinity celebrated in 2018?

In 2018 Day of the Holy Trinity noted on Sunday, May 27. Trinity is celebrated on the 50th day after Easter, hence the second name - Pentecost. In Orthodoxy, Trinity is one of the twelve (twelve most important besides Easter) holidays.

Trinity precedes Trinity parent's Saturday - the day when it is customary for Orthodox Christians to go to the cemetery to remember their deceased loved ones, and in churches they commemorate all dead Christians. In 2018, Trinity Saturday falls on May 26.

History of the holiday Trinity

This Christian holiday, as the name suggests, glorifies the Holy Trinity - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The name Pentecost goes back to the Gospel parable about the descent of the holy spirit on the apostles on the fiftieth day from the Resurrection of Christ. The holiday has biblical roots - on the 50th day after the Jewish Passover (Passover) God through Moses (Moshe) gave the Ten Commandments to the Jews on Mount Sinai. Thus, the Christian Trinity embodies the connection between the Old and New Testaments.

Trinity: folk traditions and signs

IN Slavic tradition Trinity is a holiday associated with the final farewell of spring and the beginning of summer, and therefore with greenery, herbs, trees, primarily with the main Russian tree - the birch. It is with young birch trees and birch branches that it is customary to decorate homes, churches and graves of loved ones on Trinity Sunday.

The days before and after the end of Trinity in Rus' were called “green” or “mermaid” week.

It was accepted on Trinity go to cemeteries and leave food and even clothing for the dead. This ritual was believed to ward off death.

It was considered a good omen for Trinity decorate your home with birch branches- they were placed in vases, placed behind icons, even scattered on the floor. It was believed that the birch tree “attracts” good luck and a good harvest.

It was also accepted on Trinity woo. People said:

It was believed that matchmaking on Trinity is the key to a long and happy life future family.

It was also customary to organize folk festivals on Trinity festivities with a treat, this was considered an excellent way to appease the land for the sake of the future harvest.

Rain was considered a good omen for Trinity: it promised a lot of mushrooms and berries, the absence of drought and frost, which means a rich harvest.

Fortune telling for Trinity

It was nice to make fortunes on Trinity, mostly girls did this - they made wishes for their future fate and marriage.

Fortune telling, girls on the eve of Trinity “curled” birch trees in the forest or grove - they wove braids from birch branches. The “perm” that survived until Trinity was considered a sign of imminent marriage.

The girls also told fortunes about wreaths - they wove them from field herbs and flowers and floated them on water. It is best if the wreath itself fell into the water from the bowed girl’s head. Wherever he sailed, the matchmakers will come from there. There was a wreath left by the shore - to sit in girls for a year, but if you drowned, expect trouble.

Trinity 2018: what not to do

On Trinity Sunday, the land was considered the birthday girl, so any work in the field, garden and house was prohibited, with the exception of cooking and caring for livestock.

Women were also prohibited from all female handicrafts, especially those involving the use of sharp metal devices: sewing, knitting, spinning, cutting fabric, etc. was prohibited.

Men were also prohibited from working with iron tools: they were not allowed to dig, harrow, mow, chop wood, etc.

It was also forbidden to disturb the earth by planting plants in it or, conversely, digging them up.

In addition, the prohibitions concerned water - at this time it was the “mermaid” week, and the villagers were afraid of the pranks of the water evil spirits walking the earth at that time.

Thus, it was forbidden to wash, rinse clothes in ponds, swim and even wash. There were especially strict prohibitions regarding bathing - it was believed that a merman awakened by mermaids could drag the disobedient person to the bottom.

Spirits Day 2018

Monday immediately after Trinity is called Whit Monday. In 2018, Spiritual Day falls on May 28. On Spiritual Day, the earth is also considered a birthday girl; like on Trinity, you cannot work on it. Bans on bathing, laundry and bathing also remain in effect.

On Spiritual Day, it was customary to “feed” the earth - to arrange something like modern picnics, laying tablecloths on the ground. At the same time, women, in order to “feed” the earth, placed part of the food directly on the ground. It was believed that this makes the land fertile.

In addition, on Spiritual Day people “listened to the earth.” To do this, it was necessary to put your ear to the ground somewhere in an open field in the pre-dawn hour. It was believed that those who know how to listen, the earth can tell its secrets and even reveal where it hides treasures.

Trinity is great Orthodox holiday, symbolizing the fullness of God's grace, when the third Holy Hypostasis appeared to people - the Holy Spirit, is celebrated on June 7 in 2020.

Before His ascension, resurrected and staying with his chosen disciples, the Apostles, Jesus commanded them not to leave Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit descended on them, after which he ascended to heaven.

Biblical Description of Pentecost

This holiday was named Trinity in honor of the fullness of God, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with whom the Creator baptized the Apostles on the fiftieth day from the Resurrection of the Lord. Hence the second name of this holiday - Pentecost.

The Holy Trinity

The Apostles and faithful followers of Jesus Christ were in prayer and daily communion, among whom were:

students;
women who accompanied the teacher during His earthly life;
Mother Mary;
His brothers.

The Teacher did not say when the Holy Spirit would appear, or how it would be, he only said that everyone should be waiting.

The history of the holiday in Orthodoxy

From this day on, every Sunday, 50 days or seven weeks after, the Apostles and the Christians around them celebrated the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit. The celebrations of the Week ended with the baptism of those added to the Church.

Quintus Tertullian, an early Christian theologian, writer of more than 31 preserved treatises, wrote in 220-230 that the holiday of Trinity eclipsed all pagan rituals of that time.

The Trinity in Orthodoxy means the unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Pentecost received official recognition by the Church in 381 during the Ecumenical Council of Constantinople, at which a dogma was approved recognizing the equality of all three hypostases of the Holy Trinity.

At the Council, the Symbol of the Christian Faith was adopted - I Believe in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Symbol of faith
I believe in God the Father, the Almighty Creator, who created heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, the Savior of people, who was born of the Virgin Mary at conception by the Holy Spirit, was tortured during the time of Pontius Pilate, died by crucifixion, was buried and resurrected after descending into hell, ascended to Heaven, sat down at the right hand of the Most High, so that with Him to judge people, living and dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, Holy Universal Church, eternal life through forgiveness and resurrection. Amen.

Amen translated means the statement “So be it!”

Also see:

The Symbol of Faith is read in churches and at home prayers from Trinity to Easter.

The difference between Trinity and other holidays

Easter services end with Pentecost, after which church calendar weeks are numbered weeks after Trinity.

The Monday after the Feast of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is called the Day of the Holy Spirit. From there, until Easter, the Creed is read, and after the Resurrection of Jesus and until the day of Pentecost, during church and home prayers, the chant is read: “Christ rose from the dead, through death he overcame death, he rose alive from the grave,” which is not sung after the Day of the Holy Spirit.

The Trinity service begins with a prayer; it is read before the beginning at the end of any holiday or activity, when the Holy Spirit is invoked as a reliable helper.

Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of truth, abiding everywhere and filling everything, Source of blessings and Giver of life, come and dwell in us and cleanse us from all sin and save, O Good One, our souls.

The Venerable John of Damascus and Cosmas of Maium compiled the festive canons back in the eighth century; they were set out in the First Complete Byzantine Rule for the conduct of services on Trinity.

For information! At the evening service there is no kissing of the icon; parishioners venerate the Gospel.

At the all-night vigil before the holiday, the canon of Pentecost is read. The Morning Liturgy is replaced by the Feast of the Holy Spirit, during which prayers are read while kneeling.

The festive stichera helps to understand the meaning of this action. The Jewish people, among whom God the Son was born, are deprived of God's grace through their unbelief. Christians all over the world, pagans in the flesh, are filled with Divine light. Kneeling, as a symbol of a bowed heart, with deep faith we worship the third Hypostasis of the Divine Trinity - God the Spirit.

Composed the first prayers:

The first petition is dedicated to confessing sins to the Creator and asking for mercy in the name of the Sacrifice given to people by Jesus Christ, God the Son.
The second prayer is an appeal for the gift of the Holy Spirit to all people.
The third appeal to Christ, the Mission, God, who descended into hell and took the keys of life from Satan, to have mercy on our deceased relatives.

During the holiday the Troparion is performed:

Blessed are you, Christ our God, who gave wisdom to the fishermen, making them Apostles, sent them the Holy Spirit and helped them gain the whole world, glory to you, God the Lover of Mankind.

Traditions of decorating temples and houses on the day of Pentecost

According to folk tradition, churches and houses are decorated with greenery on Trinity Sunday; people call this holiday green Christmastide.

Decorating the church with greenery for the holiday of Trinity as a symbol of the flowering of the Christian soul

On the one hand, this historical background. God appeared to Abraham in the form of three elders who were reclining under an oak tree.

On the fiftieth day after leaving Egypt, the Almighty, on the green Mount Sinai, gave the people 10 commandments, which are still the basis of Christianity.

According to custom, in honor of these events, all temples were decorated with greenery. The greenery on Pentecost symbolizes the flowering of the Christian soul, which was awakened by the Divine Spirit through the grace of God the Father and the Son.

Birch trees cut down on Trinity Day symbolize the power of grace. While the tree fed through its roots and grew in the ground, it lived, and as soon as it was cut down, it died. So the human soul lives as long as it is nourished by Divine power, but if a person leaves the Church, he immediately dies. Jesus is the Vine, and we are His branches, feeding on mercy, forgiveness through confession and communion.

For information! Next week for Happy Week modest, it ends with the Week of All Saints, after which Peter's fast begins.

The Almighty has shown himself to be triune in the Trinity, consubstantial and indivisible; you should not try to understand this dogma with your mind, or explain it with the human mind. Each Hypostasis of the Trinity has its own face, but these are not three Gods, but a single Divine essence.

Day of the Holy Trinity. Pentecost

Trinity Day is one of the twelve most important holidays in Orthodoxy after Easter, dedicated to the events of the earthly life of Jesus Christ and the Mother of God. The holiday is dedicated to the glorification of the Holy Trinity; liturgical readings and sermons on this day reveal the Christian teaching about the trinity of God.

Trinity 2018: when is it celebrated?

The Day of the Holy Trinity or Pentecost is celebrated on the 50th day after Easter. In 2018, Orthodox Christians celebrate Trinity on May 27.

In Ukraine, Trinity Day is considered an important church holiday, therefore a public holiday has been declared on this day. Since the holiday falls on a Sunday, Monday, May 28th, following it, will also be a day off. That is, at the end of May, Ukrainians will have: May 26, 27 and 28, 2018.

In the Catholic tradition, Pentecost and Trinity are separate. The Feast of Trinity is celebrated on the 7th day after Pentecost (57th after Easter). However, in 2018, Trinity Day coincides for Catholics and Orthodox Christians.

The meaning of the holiday of Trinity

It is believed that the apostles, who are also called the disciples of Jesus Christ, decided to establish a holiday in honor of the Holy Trinity. In this way, they wanted to consolidate in people’s memory the event that occurred on the fiftieth day after the Ascension of the Lord. It was on this day that the Holy Spirit descended on the holy apostles, which symbolizes the trinity of God, that is, the existence of three Persons of one in essence God - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit descended on the apostles in the form of tongues of fire and gave them the ability to speak different languages to bring the teachings of Christ to all nations. Fire in this case symbolizes the power to scorch sins and cleanse, sanctify and warm souls.

Pentecost is also considered the birthday of the Christian Church.

Traditions of the Trinity holiday in Ukraine

On Trinity Day in Orthodox churches One of the most solemn and beautiful services of the year is being celebrated. After the liturgy, Great Vespers is served, at which stichera are sung, glorifying the descent of the Holy Spirit.

For many centuries, the tradition of decorating churches and houses with freshly cut greenery, branches and flowers on Trinity Sunday has been preserved, which symbolize the renewal of the soul. For this reason, the holiday is often called Green Sunday.

On the occasion of the holiday, it is customary to prepare dishes from eggs, milk, fresh herbs, poultry and fish. They bake loaves, pies, pancakes. Close people and relatives are invited to the festive dinner.

By folk traditions When leaving the church, people tried to grab the grass from under their feet to mix with hay, boil with water and drink as a healing one. Some made wreaths from the leaves of the trees that stood in the church and used them as amulets.

Among the people, the Trinity holiday has always been loved by young girls. On this day, it is customary to weave wreaths, lowering them into the river for fortune telling. Then the girls went for a walk in the forest. A loaf baked on the occasion of the holiday was distributed in the forest unmarried girls. These pieces were dried and stored until the wedding, then kneading crackers into dough for the wedding loaf. They believed that they would bring prosperity and love to their new family.

The Saturday before Pentecost is considered a day of remembrance. People in churches light candles for the repose of deceased relatives and clean up cemeteries.

Trinity Day is celebrated on the fiftieth day after Easter, which is why this holiday is also called Pentecost.

Afterwards, His disciples continually lived in a sense of celebration. For another forty days He appeared to them one by one and gathered together. Before the eyes of the disciples, the Lord rose above the earth, as if assuring them that on the last day of the world He would come to earth in the same way as He had gone to God the Father. Saying goodbye to them for the time being, He promised to send them the Comforter - the Holy Spirit emanating from God the Father. The disciples did not know what this meant, but they believed that everything would be according to the word of the Lord.

Like fire in a hearth, they maintained the blessed state of that day in their souls, gathering every day in one house on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. In a secluded upper room they prayed, read Holy Scripture. This is how another ancient prophecy came true: “Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord out of Jerusalem.” This is how the first Christian temple arose. Near that house was the house of Christ’s beloved disciple, the Apostle John the Theologian; according to the will of the Lord, His Mother, the Virgin Mary, also lived there. Disciples gathered around Her; She was a consolation for all believers.

The Feast of Pentecost, or the Day of the Holy Trinity, went like this. On the tenth day after the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, on the day of the Jewish holiday of the first harvest, when the disciples and with them were in the Zion Upper Room, at the third hour of the day a strong noise was heard in the air, as if during a storm. Bright, flickering tongues of fire appeared in the air. It was not a material fire - it was of the same nature as the Holy Fire, which descends annually in Jerusalem on Easter; it shone without burning. Rushing over the heads of the apostles, tongues of fire descended on them and laid them to rest. Immediately, along with the external phenomenon, the internal one took place, taking place in the souls: “ being all filled with the Holy Spirit.”“Both the Mother of God and the apostles felt at that moment an extraordinary power acting in them. Simply and directly, they were given from above a new grace-filled gift of the verb - they began to speak in languages that they did not know before. This was the gift needed to preach the Gospel throughout the world.

Washed, generously gifted by the One Spirit, feeling that this was only part of the spiritual gifts they had received from the Lord, they held each other’s hands, forming a new shining bright Church, where God Himself is invisibly present, reflected and acting in souls. Beloved children of the Lord, united with Him by the Holy Spirit, they emerged from the walls of the Zion Upper Room to fearlessly preach Christ’s teaching about love.

In memory of this event, the Feast of Pentecost is also called the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit, as well as the day of the Holy Trinity: in the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, who came from God the Father according to the promise of God the Son, the mystery of the unity of the Holy Trinity was revealed. This day received the name Pentecost not only in memory of the ancient holiday, but also because this event occurred on the fiftieth day after Christian Easter. Just as Easter replaced the ancient Jewish holiday, so Pentecost laid the foundation of the Church of Christ as union in the Spirit on earth.

Hymns for the Feast of the Holy Trinity: Troparion of the Trinity, Kontakion of the Trinity, Glorification of the Trinity

Troparion for the Feast of the Holy Trinity, tone 1

Kontakionfeast of the Holy Trinity, voice 2

Greatnessfeast of the Holy Trinity

We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, and honor Your All-Holy Spirit, Whom You sent from the Father as Your Divine disciple.

Articles about the Feast of the Holy Trinity (Pentecost)

Trinity-Sergius Lavra

Photo report
—What do the monks and inhabitants of the monastery eat? We offer you a report from the refectory, kitchen, bakery and salting room of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
- Why does a novice need to pray the rosary? They took away the rosary. Why strict fasting? So, the “sentence” has arrived: “If only we lived like people, we would have been a monk long ago, otherwise he’s playing the saint.”
article about the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary

Icons of the Holy Trinity

What date does Trinity Day fall on in 2020? What is the history of this Orthodox holiday?

What date is Trinity, Holy Trinity Day in 2020?

The color of the Trinity holiday is emerald green. This is the shade of fresh, lush grass or foliage that has not had time to get tired and absorb the heavy dust of the city. The churches glow from the inside like an emerald cloud - hundreds of birch branches are carried by parishioners, the floor of the church is densely covered with grass, the musty smell of June is intensified by the rays of the sun from the church windows, mixed with subtle notes of incense and wax candles. The candles are no longer red, but honey-yellow - “Easter is given away.” Exactly 50 days after the Resurrection of the Lord, Christians celebrate the Holy Trinity. Great Holiday, beautiful Holiday.

… Fifty days after the Passover, the Jews celebrated the day of Pentecost, dedicated to the legislation of Sinai. The apostles did not take part in mass celebrations, but gathered together with the Mother of God and other disciples in the house of one person. History has not preserved evidence of his name and what he did, we only know that it was in Jerusalem... It was about three o'clock in the afternoon according to Jewish time (about nine o'clock in the morning according to modern reckoning). Suddenly, from heaven itself, from above, an incredible noise was heard, reminiscent of the howl and roar of a rushing strong wind, the noise filled the entire house in which the disciples of Christ and the Virgin Mary were located. People began to pray. Tongues of fire began to play between people and began to dwell for a moment on each of the worshipers. So the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit, with which they received the amazing ability to speak and preach in many languages, previously unknown to them... The Savior’s promise was fulfilled. His disciples received special grace and gift, power and ability to carry the teachings of Jesus Christ. It is believed that the Holy Spirit descended in the form of fire as a sign that it has the power to scorch sins and cleanse, sanctify and warm the soul.

On the occasion of the holiday, Jerusalem was full of people; Jews from different countries converged on the city on this day. A strange noise from the house where the disciples of Christ were, caused hundreds of people to run to this place. Those gathered were amazed and asked each other: “Are they not all Galileans? How do we hear each of our own languages in which we were born? How can they speak with our tongues about the great things of God?” And in bewilderment they said: “They got drunk on sweet wine.” Then the Apostle Peter, standing up with the other eleven apostles, said that they were not drunk, but that the Holy Spirit had descended on them, as was predicted by the prophet Joel, and that Jesus Christ, who had been crucified, had ascended into heaven and poured out the Holy Spirit on them. Spirit. Many of those who listened to the sermon of the Apostle Peter at that moment believed and were baptized. The apostles initially preached to the Jews, and then dispersed different countries for preaching to all nations.

So Saint Andrew, who is also called Andrew the First-Called, went to preach the Word of God to the eastern countries. He passed through Asia Minor, Thrace, Macedonia, reached the Danube, passed the Black Sea coast, the Crimea, the Black Sea region and along the Dnieper rose to the place where the city of Kyiv now stands. Here he stopped at the Kyiv Mountains for the night. Getting up in the morning, he said to the disciples who were with him: “Do you see these mountains? The grace of God will shine on these mountains, there will be a great city, and God will build many churches.” The apostle climbed the mountains, blessed them and planted a cross. After praying, he climbed even higher along the Dnieper and reached the Slavic settlements where Novgorod was founded.

Miraculously, the Apostle Thomas, who believed in Christ, reached the shores of India. To this day, in the southern states of this country, Kerala and Karnataka, there live Christians whose ancestors were baptized by St. Thomas.

Peter visited various regions of the Middle East, Asia Minor, and later settled in Rome. There, according to a very reliable tradition of the late 1st and early 2nd centuries, he was executed between 64 and 68 AD. According to Origen, Peter, at his own request, was crucified upside down, since he considered that he was unworthy to undergo the same the execution that the Lord suffered.

While enlightening the nations with the teachings of Christ, the Apostle Paul also undertook long journeys. In addition to his repeated stays in Palestine, he preached about Christ in Phenicia, Syria, Cappadocia, Lydia, Macedonia, Italy, the islands of Cyprus, Lesbos, Rhodes, Sicily and other lands. The power of his preaching was so great that the Jews could not do anything to oppose the power of Paul’s teaching; the pagans themselves asked him to preach the word of God and the whole city gathered to listen to him.

That grace of the Holy Spirit, which was clearly taught to the apostles in the form of tongues of fire, is now in Orthodox Church is given invisibly - in its holy sacraments through the successors of the apostles - the shepherds of the Church - bishops and priests.

The holiday of Christian Pentecost contains a double celebration: both in the glory of the Most Holy Trinity, and in the glory of the Most Holy Spirit, who descended on the Apostles and sealed the new eternal covenant of God with man.

On the Feast of the Holy Trinity, established at the end of the 4th century, after the dogma of the Trinity - the Trinitarian God - was officially adopted at the church council in Constantinople in 381, we talk about another important aspect of the Christian faith: the incomprehensible mystery of the trinity of God. God is one in three persons and this mystery is incomprehensible to the human mind, but the essence of the Trinity was revealed to people on this day.

By the way, for a long time Christian artists did not depict the Trinity, believing that God can only be depicted in the person of Jesus Christ - the son of God. But not God the Father, not God the Holy Spirit should not be written... However, over time, a special iconography of the Holy Trinity was formed, which is now divided into two types. The Old Testament Trinity is familiar to each of us from the famous icon of Andrei of Radonezh (Rublev), on which God is depicted in the form of three angels who appeared to Abraham. The icons of the New Testament Trinity are images of God the Father in the form of an old man, Jesus Christ as a youth in his bosom or an adult husband at his right hand, and the Spirit above them in the form of a dove.

In Rus', they began to celebrate Holy Pentecost not in the first years after the baptism of Rus', but almost 300 years later, in the 14th century, under St. Sergius of Radonezh.

From this day until the next holiday of Holy Pascha, they begin to sing the troparion to the Holy Spirit “Heavenly King...” From this very moment, prostrations to the ground are allowed for the first time after Easter.

... The Divine Service on the Feast of Holy Pentecost is touching and beautiful. The temple is decorated, the priests are dressed in green vestments, the smell of grass and fresh greens, the choir “... renew in our hearts, O Almighty, the true, right Spirit,” sounds solemnly and lightly, the parishioners kneel and read the special prayers of St. Basil the Great. And it’s a juicy early summer outside - a reminder of that beautiful and deep “summer of the Lord” that Jesus Christ promised the righteous.

“Come, people, let us worship the three-component Deity!”

Trinity. Icons

One of the first in the iconography of the Trinity was the story of the appearance of three Angels to Abraham (“Hospitality of Abraham”), set out in the eighteenth chapter of the biblical book of Genesis. It tells how the forefather Abraham, the ancestor of the chosen people, met three mysterious wanderers near the oak grove of Mamre (in the next chapter they were called angels). During a meal in Abraham's house, he was given a promise about the coming miraculous birth of his son Isaac. According to the will of God, from Abraham a “great and strong nation” was to come, in which “all the nations of the earth will be blessed.”

Catacombs of Via Latina
Hospitality of Abraham. Santa Maria Maggiore. Mosaic of the Roman temple of Santa Maria Maggiore (1st half of the 5th century)
Mosaic in the Temple of San Vitale. Ravenna (1st half of the 6th century)

In the second millennium, the custom arose of adding the words “Holy Trinity” to the plot “Hospitality of Abraham”: such an inscription appears on one of the miniatures of the Greek Psalter of the 11th century. In this miniature, the head of the middle Angel is crowned with a cross-shaped halo: it faces the viewer frontally, while the other two Angels are depicted in a three-quarter turn.

The same type of image is found on the doors of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Suzdal (c. 1230) and on the fresco of Theophanes the Greek from the Novgorod Church of the Transfiguration on Ilyin Street. The cross halo indicates that the central Angel is identified with Christ.

Trinity. Theophanes the Greek. 1378 Fresco in the choir chamber. Church of the Transfiguration on Ilyin Street, Novgorod
Zyryan Trinity. End of the 14th century Vologda State historical-architectural and Art Museum-reserve, Vologda

It is known that the iconographic version of the Trinity without forefathers existed even before Rublev in Byzantine art. But all these compositions are not independent in nature. Andrei Rublev not only gives the image a complete and independent character, but makes it a complete theological text. On a light background, three angels are depicted sitting around a table on which there is a bowl. The middle angel rises above the others, behind him is a tree, behind the right angel is a mountain, behind the left are chambers. The angels' heads are bowed in silent conversation. Their faces are similar, as if the same face is depicted in three versions. The entire composition is inscribed in a system of concentric circles that can be drawn along the halos, along the outlines of the wings, according to the movement of angelic hands, and all these circles converge at the epicenter of the icon, where a bowl is depicted, and in the bowl is the head of a calf. Before us is not just a meal, but a Eucharistic meal in which an atoning sacrifice is made. The Trinity of Andrei Rublev is a symbolic image of the trinity of the Divine, as already pointed out by the Council of the Hundred Heads. After all, the visit to Abraham by three Angels was not a manifestation of the Holy Trinity, but was only “a prophetic vision of this mystery, which over the course of centuries will gradually be revealed to the believing thought of the Church.” In accordance with this, in Rublev’s icon we are presented not with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but with three Angels, symbolizing the Eternal Council of the three Persons of the Holy Trinity. The symbolism of the Rublev icon is somewhat akin to the symbolism of early Christian painting, which hid deep dogmatic truths under simple but spiritually significant symbols.

Trinity. Andrey Rublev. 15th century
Trinity. XV century. Sergiev Posad State Historical and Art Museum-Reserve
Icon “The Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles” Novgorod, 16th century
The descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles. Athos, Dionysiat Monastery, XIV century
Trinity of the Old Testament. Mid-16th century Yaroslavl Art Museum, Yaroslavl
Trinity of the Old Testament. Second half of the 16th century. Moscow, State Tretyakov Gallery
The Holy Trinity. End of the 16th - beginning of the 17th centuries. Yaroslavl Art Museum, Yaroslavl
Trinity of the Old Testament. End of the 16th - beginning of the 17th centuries. Moscow, State Tretyakov Gallery
Trinity. End of the 14th century From the collection of N.P. Likhachev. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

Trinity churches in Rus'

One of the first churches in Rus' was dedicated to the Trinity. It was built by Princess Olga in her homeland, Pskov. The wooden temple, erected in the 10th century, stood for about 200 years. The second temple was made of stone. According to legend, it was founded in 1138 by the holy noble prince Vsevolod (baptized Gabriel). In the 14th century, the vault of the temple collapsed and a new cathedral was built on its foundation. But it has not survived to this day - it was badly damaged in 1609 during a fire. The fourth cathedral, built on the same site and still bearing the name of the Holy Trinity, has survived to this day.

St. Basil's Cathedral, on Red Square in Moscow, was built on the site of the Trinity Church, near which there were seven more wooden churches - in memory of the Kazan victories, they were consecrated in the name of those holidays and memories of the saints when the decisive battles took place. In 1555-61. on the site of these temples, one stone temple was built - nine-altar. The central altar was consecrated in honor of the Intercession Holy Mother of God, and one of the chapels was dedicated to the Trinity. Until the 17th century, the cathedral bore the popular name of Trinity.

The most famous Russian monastery is dedicated to the Most Holy Trinity - Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Having settled on Makovets in 1337, the Monk Sergius built a wooden Church of the Holy Trinity. In 1422, on the site of the former wooden temple, a student St. Sergius, Abbot Nikon, laid the stone foundation for the Trinity Cathedral. During its construction, the relics of St. Sergius were discovered. The cathedral was painted by famous masters Andrei Rublev and Daniil Cherny. The famous image of the Old Testament Trinity was painted for the iconostasis.

In the name of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Trinity Markov Monastery was founded in Vitebsk. The foundation of the Markov Monastery presumably dates back to the 14th–15th centuries. There is a legend about the founder of the monastery, a certain Mark, who retired to a plot of land that belonged to him and built a chapel there. Soon he was joined by like-minded people. The monastery existed until 1576, after which it was abolished, and the Trinity Church was turned into a parish church. The monastery was reopened in 1633 by Prince Lev Oginsky, and closed in 1920. The police and other institutions were located on its territory for a long time. All buildings, except the Holy Kazan Church, were destroyed (including the Trinity Cathedral - one of the best examples of wooden Belarusian architecture). Kazan Church during the Great Period Patriotic War was damaged, but then partially restored. This is the only church in Vitebsk that did not close in the post-war years. The main altar of the temple is consecrated in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, and the side chapel is in honor of St. Sergius of Radonezh. The monastery was revived in 2000.

Trinity Cathedral in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra

In honor of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Trinity (Troitsky) Monastery was founded in the city of Slutsk (Belarus). The time of foundation of the Holy Trinity Monastery is unknown. The first mention of it dates back to 1445. There was a monastery near the city, downstream of the Sluch River. People began to settle around the monastery, the suburb of Troychany was formed, and the street from the city to the monastery began to be called Troychany. The monastery had a charter from the Polish king, confirming its Orthodox status. Since 1560, there has been a theological school at the monastery, where theology, rhetoric, Slavic and Greek grammars were studied. It is also known about the small library of the monastery: in 1494 there were 45 books. In 1571, the abbot of the monastery was Archimandrite Mikhail Ragosa (d. 1599), the future Metropolitan of Kyiv. An Orthodox seminary was opened at the monastery, which was headed until 1575 by the former abbot of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra Artemy (? - early 1570s). At the beginning of the 17th century, the seminary no longer existed. It appears again in the 18th century. First World War there was an infirmary in the monastery. In the summer of 1917, the buildings of the monastery, where 13 monks and 13 novices lived, were transferred to the Belarusian gymnasium, the rector, Archimandrite Afanasy Vecherko, was expelled. On February 21, 1930, the monastery was closed, the relics were transferred to museums. The monastery buildings were finally destroyed in the 1950s. Subsequently, a military camp was located in its place. In 1994, a memorial cross was erected on the site of the monastery.

Slutsk Holy Trinity Monastery. N. Horde. Second floor. 19th century

In 1414, on the banks of the Nurma River, not far from its confluence with the Obnora, in the territory of the modern Gryazovets district of the Vologda region, the Trinity Pavlo-Obnorsky Monastery was founded. The founder of the monastery was a disciple of St. Sergius of Radonezh - Pavel Obnorsky (1317–1429). In 1489, the monastery received a charter from Grand Duke Ivan III allocating the monastery with forests, villages and exemption from taxes. The monastery's privileges were subsequently consolidated by Vasily III, Ivan IV the Terrible and their successors. The cathedral church of the Trinity was built in the monastery (1505–1516). IN mid-19th century, 12 monks lived in the monastery. In 1909, the monastery was damaged by a severe fire. The cross that St. Paul received from Sergius of Radonezh melted in the fire. Before the revolution, about 80 inhabitants lived in the monastery. The monastery was closed in 1924 by decision of the Gryazovets district executive committee of the RCP (b). In the 1920s and 30s, the Trinity Cathedral with adjacent temple buildings, the bell tower and the fence were destroyed. An experimental pedagogical station, a school, and an orphanage were located on the territory of the monastery. In 1945, a children's sanatorium was opened, then a regional sanatorium-forest school. Returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1994.

Holy Trinity Pavlo-Obnorsky Monastery

The Ulyanovsk Trinity-Stefanovsky Monastery was consecrated in the name of the Holy Trinity. Located in the village of Ulyanovo, Ust-Kulomsky district of the Komi Republic. According to legend, the monastery was founded in 1385 by Saint Stephen of Perm (1340s - 1396) with the goal of spreading Christianity in the Upper Vychegda. But this building did not last long. According to local legends, the Ulyanovsk monastery was named after the girl Ulyaniya, who, not wanting to fall into the hands of the enemy, decided to drown herself in the river. A monastery was built opposite this place. During the years of Soviet power, the Ulyanovsk monastery was closed and its property was looted. Many monks were repressed. The Trinity Cathedral was completely destroyed, most of the outbuildings were in deplorable condition. Items seized from the Ulyanovsk Monastery were kept in the National Museum of the Komi Republic. In 1994, the monastery was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Trinity-Stephano-Ulyanovsky Monastery

In the name of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Trinity Ipatiev Monastery was founded in Kostroma. The monastery was first mentioned in chronicles in 1432, but it may have been founded much earlier. According to the generally accepted version, the monastery was founded around 1330 by the Tatar Murza Chet, the founder of the Godunov and Saburov family, who fled from the Golden Horde to Ivan Kalita (c. 1283/1288 - 1340/1341) and was baptized in Moscow under the name Zacharias. In this place, he had a vision of the Mother of God with the upcoming Apostle Philip and Hieromartyr Hypatius of Gangra (d. 325/326), the result of which was his healing from the disease. In gratitude for the healing, a monastery was founded on this site. Initially, the Church of the Holy Trinity was built, then the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, several cells and a powerful oak wall. Residential and outbuildings were located around. All buildings were wooden. After the death of Prince Vasily and the abolition of the Kostroma principality, the monastery came under the patronage of the Godunov family, which rose to prominence in the mid-16th century. During this period, the monastery developed rapidly. After October revolution, in 1919, the monastery was abolished and its values were nationalized. For many years there was a museum on the territory of the monastery, part of the exhibition of which is still there today. In 2005, the monastery was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Ipatiev Monastery. View from the old bed of the Kostroma River

In the name of the Trinity, the Stefano-Makhrischi Holy Trinity Monastery was founded. Located on the Molokcha River in the village of Makhra, Aleksandrovsky district, Vladimir region. Founded in the 14th century by Stefan Makhrischsky (d. July 14, 1406) as a monastery. From 1615 to the 1920s it was assigned to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Closed in 1922. Reopened in 1995 as a convent.

Stefano-Makhrishchsky Holy Trinity Monastery

In the name of the Holy Trinity, the Trinity Anthony-Siysky Monastery was founded in 1520. The monastery was founded by the Monk Anthony of Siysk (1477–1556). In pre-Petrine times, the Siysky Monastery was one of the largest centers of spiritual life in the Russian North. From the monastery book collection come such unique manuscripts as the Siya Gospel of the 16th century and illustrated calendars. After the revolution, ancient documents were confiscated from the monks and transferred to the Arkhangelsk Regional Archive, from where in 1958 and 1966 they were transported to Moscow (now to the RGADA). The monastery was closed by a resolution of the Yemetsk Executive Committee dated June 12, 1923 and by a decision of the Presidium of the Arkhangelsk Provincial Executive Committee dated July 11, 1923. The territory was used for the needs of the labor commune and collective farm. In 1992, the monastery was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Trinity Siysky Monastery. Pre-revolutionary postcard

A monastery in Astrakhan was consecrated in the name of the Trinity. The history of the Trinity Monastery in Astrakhan begins in 1568, when Tsar Ivan the Terrible, sending abbot Kiril here, ordered him to establish a common monastery in the city of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. By 1573, Abbot Kiril had built: “the temple of the Life-Giving Trinity, to which was attached a meal about six fathoms, and a cellar about three fathoms, 12 cells, two cellars with dryers, a glen and a cookhouse.” All buildings were wooden. By the time of the death of Abbot Kiril in 1576, he had built two more wooden churches in the monastery: in honor of the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The monastery itself, originally called Nikolsky, later received the name Trinity, in honor of the cathedral church of the Life-Giving Trinity. In the 90s of the 16th century, the new abbot Theodosius began rebuilding the monastery from wood to stone. On September 13, 1603, the new stone Trinity Cathedral was consecrated. A little later, a chapel was added to it in honor of the holy passion-bearers Princes Boris and Gleb. In addition, under Abbot Theodosius, the following were built: a stone bell tower with the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker under it and a wooden Church of the Origin of the Venerable Trees of the Holy Cross with a chapel in honor of the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary. During the Soviet years, an archive storage facility was set up in the monastery, and the shrines were desecrated.

Trinity Monastery in Astrakhan

In the name of the Trinity, a monastery was founded in the city of Murom, Vladimir region. The monastery was founded in the second quarter of the 17th century (1643) by the Murom merchant Tarasy Borisovich Tsvetnov, according to a number of local historians - on the site of the so-called “old settlement”, where originally a wooden Cathedral in honor of Saints Boris and Gleb, and later there was a wooden Holy Trinity Church. In 1923 the monastery was closed. In 1975, a wooden church in honor of St. Sergius of Radonezh from the neighboring Melenkovsky district was brought to the territory of the monastery, which is a monument wooden architecture XVIII century. Opened in 1991. The main shrine of the monastery is the relics of the holy saints Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia, transported from the local museum on September 19, 1992. Until 1921, the relics rested in the city's Nativity Cathedral.

Holy Trinity Convent of Murom in the 19th century

Also consecrated in the name of the Holy Trinity are the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery, the Zelenetsky-Trinity Monastery, the Klopsky Monastery, the Eletsky Trinity Monastery, the Belopesotsky and Trinity Boldin Monasteries, monasteries in Kazan, Sviyazhsk, Kalyazin, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Tyumen, Cheboksary and other cities.

In honor of the Holy Trinity, monasteries were founded in Serbia, Georgia, Greece, Palestine, Finland, and Sweden.

A temple in Veliky Novgorod was consecrated in honor of the Trinity. The temple dates back to 1365. Built by order of Novgorod merchants who traded with Ugra (Ural region). The Trinity Church suffered the greatest damage during the Great Patriotic War. Along with other monuments of Novgorod architecture, it was restored in 1975–1978, although in fact the work is still ongoing.

Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Yamskaya Sloboda in Veliky Novgorod

Also in honor of the Trinity, the Church of the Spiritual Monastery in Veliky Novgorod was consecrated. The Trinity Church with a refectory chamber was built around 1557 by order of Abbot Jonah. It is located almost in the center of the monastery territory. On the ground floor of the refectory there was a cookhouse, a bakery and two leaven cellars; on the second floor there is a refectory and a cellar room. The church was seriously damaged during the Swedish occupation of 1611–1617, as well as from a severe fire in 1685.

Trinity Church of the Spiritual Monastery in Veliky Novgorod

In the name of the Life-Giving Trinity, a temple in Moscow - in the Fields - was consecrated. It was first mentioned in 1493 in the Resurrection Chronicle. In 1565 a stone church was built. In 1639, next to the stone Trinity Church with the chapels of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and Boris and Gleb, built by the boyar M. M. Saltykov (cousin of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich), a wooden temple was built in honor of Sergius of Radonezh. Trinity Church was destroyed in 1934. The speed of demolition did not allow for a detailed study of the architectural monument. In its place a square was laid out, and a monument to the pioneer printer Ivan Fedorov was erected in place of the refectory.

Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in the Fields. Photo from N. A. Naidenov’s album, 1882

A temple in Nikitniki (Moscow) was consecrated in the name of the Trinity. Back in the 16th century, there was a wooden church here in the name of the holy martyr Nikita (d. c. 372). In the 1620s, it burned down, and by order of the Yaroslavl merchant Grigory Nikitnikov, who lived nearby, a new stone church was built in the name of the Holy Trinity in 1628–1651. Sources mention construction work in 1631–1634 and 1653. The southern aisle of the temple was dedicated to Nikita the Martyr, and the revered icon of this saint was transferred to it from the burnt church. It served as the tomb of the temple builder and members of his family. In 1920, the temple was closed for worship and in 1934 transferred to the State Historical Museum. In 1991 the temple was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church.

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Church of the Life-Giving Trinity DOC. Liepaja
Church of the Holy Trinity DOC. Kublishchino

In addition, the feast of the Holy Trinity is patronal for the Nikolo-Uleiminsky monastery of the Russian Orthodox Church and for the Holy Trinity monastery of the Russian Orthodox Church in the village. Kamenka, Zlynsky district, Bryansk region.