At the Bailey end of Moulsdale Hall hang three paintings by Kirill Sokolov, a celebrated Russian painter and one of the Soviet Bloc’s greatest modern artists. They explore the theme of hospitality and inclusion – values that are foundational for St Chad’s – as interpreted through Rublev’s famous icon of the Trinity.

St Chad’s relationship with Sokolov began when one of our undergraduate students reached out to Avril Sokolov, the artist’s widow, curious to know more about all the art he could see through the windows of a house on Claypath which he passed each day. This friendship led to two exhibitions in St Chad’s which in turn led to the purchase, loan and gift of a number of Sokolov paintings which now hang in St Chad’s College.  As the relationship between St Chad’s and Avril Sokolov (Pyman) grew, Avril – a distinguished scholar of Russian Literature – accepted an honorary fellowship of St Chad’s.

The genesis of the three paintings hanging behind high table in the College Dining Room is included in this delightful piece, Summers in the Country, by Avril Sokolov. The central painting is of a group of friends – one lucky enough to own two cows – who gathered each day to share milk together. Sokolov referred to his painting as “The Three Marias” (although it also included the husband of one of them.) It is an image of hospitality that recalled for Sokolov Andrei Rublev’s famous icon of the Trinity – also known as The Hospitality of Abraham (Trinity – Andrei Rublev). Two of Sokolov’s own Trinities, interpretations of Rublev’s icon and inspired by the three Marias, hang on either side of high table.

Sokolov’s image of the friends who shared what they had and his interpretations of Rublev’s Trinity both point to the kind of hospitality that is one of the founding values of St Chad’s. The College began its life as an initiative to give men from low-income backgrounds the opportunity to fulfil their calling to the Anglican priesthood. Given the education requirements of the time, the limited opportunities available and the associated costs, this would otherwise have been impossible. It was thanks to the vision of the local vicar and the generosity of the local Lady of the Manor, Julia Warde Aldam, that St Chad’s Hostel was first established in Hooten Pagnell in 1902.  Its success led to the establishment of St Chad’s Hall in Durham in 1904.

St Chad’s College today is committed to exercising hospitality in a range of ways. We aim to be an inclusive community of learning that welcomes a diverse range of students as members.  In particular, we try to ensure, through a range of scholarships and bursaries, that students from lower income backgrounds are able to attend and make the most of the student experience here at St Chad’s.