Links for the Iconography of the Holy Trinity

Master of the Trinity, The Holy Trinity
From the Petites Heures of Jean de Berry
French (Bourges), c. 1385-1390
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Latin 18014, fol. 137v

In this image the Trinity is shown as two identical figures representing the Father and 

the Son and a dove representing the Holy Spirit.  This is only one of many attempts 

by artists to give visual form to the mystery of the Holy Trinity.

Every year the Sunday after Pentecost is devoted to the contemplation of the Holy Trinity, a distinctly Christian belief.  

Christians believe in and worship One God.  But they believe that this One God is composed of Three "Persons", called the Holy Trinity in human language.1  What Christians do NOT believe in is three gods.  Rather, in some way that we humans cannot understand, God is a community of love whose essence is being.  

Trinitarian belief is unique among the monotheistic religions, not appearing in either Judaism or Islam, although it is hinted at in the Old Testament.  There are God's words at the creation of humans (Genesis 1:26-27) and in the three visitors who come to Abraham's tent in Mamre, who are treated variously as three and as one and that one is "the Lord" (Genesis 18).  It is also part of Christianity from the very beginning.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Within twenty to twenty-five years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, Saint Paul wrote in his Second Letter to the Corinthians: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you." (2 Corinthians 13:13)  This letter is generally dated to the year 57.2  So, this is not a belief that appeared after a couple of hundred years, but one that was already there during the lifetime of the Apostles (remember that Peter is believed to have been executed in the year 64).  These people who knew Jesus of Nazareth, who had traveled with him, who had eaten with him, who had seen him put to death and had seen him rise again to walk and eat with them had come to the understanding that he was not only from God, but actually was a manifestation of God.  These men and women who had seen him ascend to heaven and had hidden away in prayer in the days after that event had experienced something on the tenth day that had caused them to cast caution aside and to boldly proclaim that Jesus of Nazareth was the son of God, was God and that they had received a divine spirit, a Holy Spirit, that sent them forth to preach this to everyone.  By 57 they had come to understand that all these experiences were experiences of the one God, but that these experiences were indicative of different tones within the harmony that is God. 

These Apostles and disciples, Jesus’ companions during His life, were Jewish, as was Paul, and, therefore, presumably strong believers in only one God.  This early appearance of belief in God as three tones, three "Persons", implies a very profound shift in their thinking. One can only presume that this shift came from the revelation they experienced from the Resurrection, the Ascension and the Descent of the Holy Spirit.  

Understanding this exceptional revelation of the nature of God is one that has taxed the minds of Christians, including great poets and great theologians, as well as ordinary believers, for the past 2,000 years.  It remains mysterious.  

It has also taxed those who work in the visual arts.  How can one depict a God who is one but also three?  How does one visualize something that seems impossible to express in language?  There have been various themes that artists have developed over the centuries and I have reviewed several of them in the past decade.  So, I offer these links to you as an exploration of the attempt by Christian artists to express this great mystery of the faith.

This essay is the most general of the group.

Iconography of the Holy Trinity – Imagining The Unimaginable   

The other essays look at specific forms which the artistic imagination has developed to present aspects of the life of the Holy Trinity.

Iconography of the Holy Trinity -- The Throne of Grace

Iconography of the Holy Trinity -- The Pietà of the Father, Divine Love Made Visible

This essay deals with the visual representation of the Holy Spirit as a dove.

A Dove Descending

If you wish to delve deeper into this fascinating subject you might want to check out the following You Tube segments:

A recent video on of theological reflections on the Trinity by Bishop Robert Barron

And a recording of the legendary preacher, the Venerable Bishop Fulton Sheen.

1.  I have put the word Persons in quotes to signify that this is only a feeble description of the reality of God.  However, our human speech does not really have an appropriate word for this reality and the word "person" (in whatever language you speak) is the best we can do.

2. For the date see https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/0

© M. Duffy, 2025

Links for Pentecost

Pentecost
From a Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulilns
French (Saint-Omer), 14th Century
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 152, fol. 451r

Over the last several years I have presented various essays on different aspects of the event and feast of Pentecost.  This day on which the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles following the Ascension of Jesus has frequently been called the birthday of the Church.  That is for good reason.

While the Apostles may have recovered their belief in Jesus and realized his divinity and power during the period from the Resurrection to the Ascension of Jesus they were still incompletely formed for their mission.  However, since Jesus had promised to send them the Spirit they were hopeful.  Retreating in a body to a single place to pray, they spent nine days praying together.  What they prayed for and what they expected we don't know, but we do know what they received and it is mysterious.  

"When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together.

And suddenly there came from the sky
a noise like a strong driving wind,
and it filled the entire house in which they were.
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,
which parted and came to rest on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in different tongues,
as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim."

(Acts 2:1-4)   First Reading for Pentecost Sunday, Masses During the Day

When the moment had passed, the Apostles were changed forever.  No longer timid and afraid, they were now "filled with the Holy Spirit" and able to communicate with others in languages they had not known before.  They were "enabled to proclaim"   (Acts 2:4).  

And proclaim they did, beginning that very day.

For "there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.

At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,
but they were confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,
"Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?
Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?
We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,
inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,
as well as travelers from Rome,
both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,
yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues
of the mighty acts of God."  

(Acts 2:4-11)  First Reading  for Pentecost Sunday, Masses During the Day

The ways in which artists have reflected these passages have been varied over the centuries.  Over these last years I have prepared essays that demonstrate the various approaches to this mysterious event in the life of the Church.  Click on the links below to be directed to each.

At This Sound, They Gathered In a Crowd

A Dove Descending

Tongues of Fire

Mary, Mother of the Church

So, Happy Birthday to all those who make up the current, terrestrial Church and also to those of the Church in Purgatory and of the Church in Celestial Bliss!

© M. Duffy, 2026

Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

 

Links to the Iconography of the Ascension

Giotto, The Ascension
Italian, c. 1304-1306
Padue, Scrovegni/Arena Chapel

 

Forty days after the celebration of Christ's Resurrection, the Church celebrates the end of His bodily presence on this planet with the feast of the Ascension.

This event, recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, ends Jesus' time on earth in visible, human form.  With His Ascension the Apostles were left to pursue the mission He gave them in parting, as reported by the writers of the Synoptic Gospels.

 

Mark 

“Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned."  Mark 16:15-16

Matthew 

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."  Matthew 28:19-20

Luke

"And he said to them, “Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day 

and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.  

You are witnesses of these things."  Luke 24:46-49

The Iconography of the Ascension

Throughout time, artists have found differing ways of depicting this event.  Some of them are discussed in the following essays.

Striding into the Sky		https://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/06/iconography-of-ascension-part-i-of-iv.html
Lifted in a Mondorla or on a Cloud		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2017/05/iconography-of-ascension-part-ii-of-iv.html
The Disappearing Feet		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2017/05/iconography-of-ascension-part-iii-of-iv.html
The Direct Approach		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2017/05/iconography-of-ascension-part-iv-of-iv.html

© M. Duffy, 2026

 

Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Links for the Easter Season

Anthony van Dyck, The Resurrection
Flemish, c. 1631-1632
Hartford (CT), Wadsworth Athenaeum

Alleluia! 

Alleluia!

Alleluia!

The days of Lent and the days of sadness that are the Triduum are past and Easter 2026 has arrived!

Alleluia! 

Alleluia!

Alleluia!

I wish you a happy and profoundly inspiring Easter Season.

Alleluia! 

Alleluia!

Alleluia!

To guide some of your explorations of the themes of this joyful season I recommend to you the links below.  They lead to some of the commentary that I have written over the years regarding the iconography of the Easter Season, which extends from this happy day till Pentecost and Trinity Sunday.

Please feel free to explore the art created to imagine the Resurrection and the days immediately following, all the way through to the feast of the Holy Trinity.  I hope that considering these events and the pictures that artists have created to illustrate them over the centuries will help you to feel more connected to the long tradition of Christian art offered to the glory of God and to the living Church of our own time.

Links have constantly been improved over the years.  New images, better quality images and new material are constantly being incorporated.  If the original publication date suggests the material is now old, it isn't.  I am constantly revising and housekeeping.

Please note that over the course of the Easter Season I will be overhauling every one of the essays listed below to swap out old images with few pixels for newer ones with a greater number of pixels, giving you more visible details when you enlarge the images.  I will also be adding new images that turn up in the course of my hunt for improved ones (and this happens all the time).  Much more material turns up every year!  So, check back often to see what's new.

The Resurrection, the Incredulity of Thomas, Emmaus

Title		Link
The Women at the Tomb		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/04/iconography-of-resurrection-women-at.html
Noli Me Tangere		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/04/iconography-of-resurrection-noli-me.html
Jesus, the Gardener		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2017/04/iconography-of-resurrection-she-thought.html
The Incredulity of St. Thomas (Doubting Thomas)		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/05/iconography-of-resurrection-incredulity.html
Emmaus -- The Journey		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/05/iconography-of-resurrection-emmaus.html
Emmaus -- The Recognition		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/05/iconography-of-resurrection-emmaus_07.html
Climbing from the Tomb		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/05/iconography-of-resurrection-climbing.html
Hovering over the Tomb		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/05/iconography-of-resurrection-hovering.html
Bursting from the Tomb		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/05/iconography-of-resurrection-bursting.html
An Awkward Resurrection Image Apparitions		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2014/04/a-happy-and-blessed-easter-season-to.html
Good Shepherd Sunday		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/05/good-shepherd-sunday-fourth-sunday-of.html
The Lake of Galilee -- The Disciples Go Fishing		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/05/iconography-of-resurrection-lake-of.html
Commission to Peter -- The Good Shepherd Transfers Responsibility		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/05/iconography-of-resurrection-peters.html
The Commission to the Apostles		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/05/iconography-of-resurrection-commission.html
Christ Appears to His Mother Christ Presents the Redeemed to His Mother		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/06/iconography-of-resurrection-christ.html http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2017/05/iconography-of-resurrection-christ.html
The Ascension
Striding into the Sky		https://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/06/iconography-of-ascension-part-i-of-iv.html
Lifted in a Mondorla or on a Cloud		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2017/05/iconography-of-ascension-part-ii-of-iv.html
The Disappearing Feet		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2017/05/iconography-of-ascension-part-iii-of-iv.html
The Direct Approach		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2017/05/iconography-of-ascension-part-iv-of-iv.html
Pentecost Tongues of Fire		https://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2016/05/tongues-of-fire.html
At This Sound, They Gathered In a Crowd A Dove Descending   The Holy  Trinity Worthy Is The Lamb Father, Son, Spirit Iconography of the Holy Trinity – Imagining The Unimaginable The Holy Trinity -- Love Made Visible The Holy Trinity -- The Throne of Grace		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2016/05/at-this-sound-they-gathered-in-crowd.html https://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-dove-descending.html http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2016/04/worthy-is-lamb.html http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2008/05/father-son-spirit.html http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2012/06/iconography-of-holy-trinity-imagining.html https://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2019/06/god-so-loved-world-that-he-gave-his.html https://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-holy-trinity-throne-of-grace.html

© M. Duffy, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026

The Day of Gloom and the Coming of the Light

Paolo Veronese, The Dead Christ Supported By Angels
Italian, c. 1587-1589
Berlin, Gemäldegalerie der Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

On a typical Holy Saturday the church is quiet, the tabernacle empty, the altar stripped. People come for services such as Tenebrae, made up of readings, songs and symbolic acts such as the snuffing out of candles or for Confession to ask God for forgiveness.



 Basically, the prevailing mood is quiet, a little gloomy even, but with a hint of excitement nonetheless.


Underneath it all is a sense of expectation.  And, in the evening, as darkness descends, we gather (or perhaps watch on the net or on TV) to celebrate the Easter Vigil, the Great Vigil, in which the darkness of the tomb is turned to the light of Resurrection.

As the massive newly carved and lit Paschal Candle is carried down the aisle of the darkened church we will be confronted with a symbolic image that has come down to us from remote centuries, for the light represents the Risen Christ.  As we light our individual candles from the One Candle the church gradually fills with light.  What was obscure and gloomy just moments ago can be seen clearly.  It is a magnificent symbol of the Resurrection, of the share we each have in it and of the effect that spreading that light can have on the world.  

Deacon Singing the Exultet 
From  an Exultet Roll
Italian (Montecassino), c. 1072
In this scene he gestures toward the Paschal Candle, which is being incensed

For more information on the images that relate to both the day of waiting and of the Paschal Candle, please click on the following:

The Harrowing of Hell here

The Dead Christ in the Tomb here

Easter Vigil and the Paschal Candle here

©  M. Duffy, 2015, updated 2020 and 2021 and 2022