Trifacial Trinity

Through didactic compositions of this type, the Viceregal church sought to explain to the faithful the mystery of the Holy Trinity, so crucial to Christian doctrine. In this case, the image has medieval origins, transmitted through engravings. The Catholic dogma which affirms the existence of three different persons in a single God is expressed here as a face with four eyes, three noses and three mouths. This typology –known as a Trifacial Trinity- had been prohibited by the ecclesiastical authorities of Europe, but was readopted in America because it was considered an effective resource in the graphic embodiment of such a complex theological mystery. (RK)