THE LIFE OF ST. ANDREI RUBLEV
St. Andrei Rublev
July 4 (July 17 according to the New Style)
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Andrei Rublev was born circa 1360 (presumably). According to the anonymous author of The Lives of Russian Saints, a book compiled in the early eighteenth century, Andrei Rublev died on January 29th, 1430, and was buried at the Andronikov Monastery in Moscow.
The historical data about St. Andrei Rublev are extremely poor. Nothing is known about his origin. His nickname (Rublev) which was kept in monkhood can illumine this mystery. Apparently, "Rublev" is a patrimonial nickname - a surname. It has a typical ending of Russian surnames. In the 14th -15th centuries, at St. Andrei's time, and even much later only representatives of the upper class bared a surname. That is why we can surmise that he descended from the educated circles. Moreover, the sources note his remarkable wisdom that his creativity also testifies.
As a monk in the Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery, Rublev was doubtlessly a follower of St. Sergius of Radonezh (1314-1392), who was the founder of the monastery and was in many ways considered the leader of the 14th century spiritual and political revival.
Many of Rublev's surviving works were created in or near Moscow, and there is evidence to suggest that he received his training in this general area (although not exactly within the city) under the guidance of Prokhor of Gorodets. By 1405 he was collaborating with Theophanes the Greek, the foremost icon painter in Russia at the time, in the decoration of the Annunciation Cathedral in Moscow. This testifies to both his skill and his rising popularity as an icon painter.
St. Andrei Rublev is best known for his masterpiece The Old Testament Trinity.
St. Andrei Rublev's art influenced many different artists including Dionisy. At Stoglavi Sobor (1551) Rublev's iconography was announced as a model for church paintings.
Andrei Rublev was canonized in 1988. The church celebrates his memory on July 4 (July 17 according to the New Style)