Trinity Sunday Art Series: Ravenna Mosaic

 

This is a detail from a 6th century mosaic located in the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy.  It is called "The Hospitality of Abraham" and depicts the Old Testament foreshadowing of the Trinity found in Genesis 18:1-16.

In this scripture passage, three strangers visit Abraham near the tree of Mambre and he offers them hospitality, as shown in the mosaic.

Significantly, the loaves of bread are marked with the Cross and the three strangers have similar features, symbolizing the unity of the Trinity. Here are the first few verses of that scripture from the Douay Rheims bible:

1- And the Lord appeared to him in the vale of Mambre as he was sitting at the door of his tent, in the very heat of the day. 2 And when he had lifted up his eyes, there appeared to him three men standing near him: and as soon as he saw them he ran to meet them from the door of his tent, and adored down to the ground. 3 And he said: Lord, if I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away from thy servant: 4 But I will fetch a little water, and wash ye your feet, and rest ye under the tree. 5 And I will set a morsel of bread, and strengthen ye your heart, afterwards you shall pass on: for therefore are you come aside to your servant. And they said: Do as thou hast spoken.

 

The Trinity & Trinity Flowers

 

This coming Sunday is Trinity Sunday. One of the flowers associated with the Holy Trinity is the trillium (above).  It is essentially a wildflower and does not seem suitable for church decoration but certainly calls to mind this aspect of our Faith.

According to the work of Mary Gardener John Stokes, several other plants are also symbolic of the Trinity, including pansies and even aloe vera.

 Stokes relates:

"In Europe the wild pansy, or johnny-jump-up, viola tricolor, was also widely known as Trinity Flower - for the three colors of each of its flowers, from which familiar present-day larger pansies blooms have been bred with one or two colors usually dominant.

"An interesting aspect of bred pansy strains of a dominant color is that the other two colors are always preserved at the centers of the blooms. Thus, pansies of yellow dominance may be seen to symbolize the glory of the heavenly Father; purple the sorrows of the incarnate Son; and white the light of the processing Holy Spirit - with the other colors in each instance always retained at the center, serving to remind us that whenever one of the Persons of the Trinity is present the others are present also, in the unity of the Godhead of love."

 A favorite prayer of mine is this Morning Offering to the Blessed Trinity:

 "Most Holy Trinity, your goodness has brought me to the beginning of this day and now I offer it to you with its thoughts, words and actions together with any crosses and contradictions which I may encounter. Give your blessing to this day, your gift to me, so that it may be animated with your love and so bring glory and honour to your divine majesty.  Amen."

Prayer:  From A Treasury of Catholic Prayers, Alexia Coxon, Kindle version.

Closing image:  Shield of the Trinity

Pentecost Art Series: Restout

 

This 18th century Baroque rendition of Pentecost is by Jean Restout II.  It is oil on canvas and roughly 15 feet high by 25 feet wide.  It is housed at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.

Once again Our Lady is depicted as central and very serene.  The 12 apostles are of course there.  One can identify St. Peter (older, bearded and toward the front) as well as St. John the Evangelist (young and clean shaven).

Some scholars believe that the two men who appear to show the most shock are Bartholomew and Thomas.

Aside from Our Lady, the women are believed by scholars to be Mary Magdalene, Martha, Mary Clopas and "Mary of Bethany" (whom some believe to be a different woman than Mary Magdalene),

Interestingly, the painting was originally in the refectory (dining hall) of the Abbey of Saint-Denis near Paris.