Trifrons

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Trifrons in the Church of San Nicola (Giornico) .

The trifrons or more precisely: vultus trifrons ( German  "dreistirniges face" or "three face" ) is a visual representation of three faces in one, so that these three faces share four eyes. The meaning of this representation is mostly unclear - in most cases it is likely to be an artistic gimmick.

Examples

The double trifrons is to the right of the rose, Italy Tuscania St. Peter Western Front

In the history of art, numerous examples of the Romans and Celts can be traced and are still preserved, but they also appear on Romanesque and High Gothic capitals - mostly on the north side and in an inferior position, such as the pidou berlu in the Notre-Dame church in Cluny from the 13th century. In Dante's divine comedy , the devil appears as trifrons and the medieval depictions mostly refer to the antichrist . A few medieval frescoes with a clear reference to the Christian Trinity are also known: e.g. B. in the church of San Nicola (Giornico) from the 15th century; Another trifrons with the meaning of the Trinity are also preserved in the Annunciation fresco from around 1400 in St. Peter's Church in Basel . In 1628 the representation of God as trifrons was forbidden by Pope Urban VIII .

Modifications

There are also depictions of three separate faces - e.g. B. on consoles , on a capital or on three adjacent capitals.

See also

literature

  • YES Terrisse: Le dieu à trois têtes des Rèmes: le tricéphale. 2008 ( online ).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See JA Terrisse: Le dieu à trois têtes des Rèmes: le tricéphale. 2008 ( online ).
  2. ^ W. Metternich: devils, spirits and demons; 2011, WBG Darmstadt, p. 40f.