About
Who was Andrei Rublev?
Recent scholarly studies in Russia are now confident that only one icon – the famous though much repainted Trinity – is actually by Rublev.
Rublev was certainly not the celebrity painter and cultural hero invented by 20th century Russian historians. He was far more interesting by his very invisibility. He represents the true mystical spirituality of Russian religion in the 15th and 16th centuries as expressed in icons and the esoteric tradition passed on from Mount Athos and Constantinople in the 14th century and, before that, the Egyptian desert fathers of the 4th century.
The lecture surveys the tradition of mystical prayer or Hesychasm through writers and images in an unbroken chain of schools of such knowledge over a thousand years. Rublev’s true status is that of a practitioner, through silence and contemplation, of higher consciousness and mystical vision.
Image: The Hospitality of Abraham, also known as the Old Treatment Trinity by Andrei Rublev. Moscow, 1408.
Key information
Who is the lecture for?
All are welcome.
How do I attend?
This event will take place in person at The King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts, 19-22 Charlotte Road,
London EC2A 3SG.
What days/times do I attend?
Wednesday 28th October 2026, 18:30 – 20:00
FAQs
Do you offer concessions?
Yes, we offer concessions for Seniors/60+, full-time students and people who are unemployed/in receipt of benefits.
Concessions cannot be applied in retrospect. To receive a concession, please apply via our online form. We will then send you a discount code to use when booking your space.
Terms & Conditions
The School reserves the right to discontinue or suspend a Lecture up to fourteen (14) calendar days before the advertised start date. This lecture requires a minimum number of enrolments to run.
What if I need to cancel or change my booking?
No refunds or cancellations, unless cancelled by the School.
Our normal terms and conditions apply.
Lecturer Biography
Dr. Sir Richard Temple Bt., PhD founded the Temple Gallery in 1959 as a centre for collectors and for the study, restoration and exhibition of ancient icons and sacred art.
He is a member of the Advisory Panel of the National Art Collections Fund of Great Britain and has been active in the acquisition of icons by several major museums, among them the British Museum, the Musée du Louvre in Paris, the Timken Art Gallery in San Diego, California, the Gallerie di Palazzo Leoni Montanari in Vicenza, Italy, the Museum of the Church of Christ the Redeemer in Moscow and the Museum of Russian Icons, Clinton, MA. He has played a major role in the formation of several highly important private collections such as that of Mr. Eric Bradley, which passed into the Museum of the Menil Collection in Houston, Texas. The collection of Charles Pankow in San Francisco which is now in the Patriarchal Collection Museum of the Church of Christ the Redeemer in Moscow and the collection of the late Mrs. John D. Rockefeller III. Over the years he has published many catalogues and scholarly articles. In 1990 his book Icons and the Mystical Origins of Christianity was published by Element Book which has been reprinted several times. He was awarded a PhD at the King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts, University of Wales in 2008.
