Against the restaurant owner objections from the Tretyakov State Gallery, Russia’s most famous work of art, the 15th century work of Andrei Rublev Trinity icon, was moved to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow in time for the June 4 Pentecost celebration by the Russian Orthodox Church.
Patriarch Kirill I, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, announced last month that Russian President Vladimir Putin had returned the icon to the church, which has long called for control of sacred objects seized by the Soviet state. He said last week that the Trinity would remain in the cathedral for a year and then “return to its historic location” at the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius near Moscow.
Putin has yet to make a public appearance to worship the icon. His transfer to the church is seen as a gesture of thanks to the Patriarch for his vocal support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Kirill, speaking at Lavra on June 3, said the icon is being returned to the church as Russia “faces enormous hostile forces” so that “in praying before it we praise the Lord and ask him at the same time to help our homeland”. .”
THE Trinity is now at the center of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in a museum display case, guarded by officers of Russia’s Rosgvardia, or National Guard. Critics call the showcase a “death capsule” warning that the icon will not survive the move.
The Tretyakov reported on his official Telegram channel on June 3 that the icon should return to the museum’s restoration division no later than June 19. On the same day, the Russian Ministry of Culture announced a similar schedule on its Telegram channel and described some of the protective measures: “The icon is installed in a capsule that provides the necessary humidity levels. The conditions required for the preservation of the monument will be strictly controlled at the church. The staff of the Tretyakov Gallery will watch over the icon in the cathedral.
Damage to the icon during a brief visit to the Lavra in 2022 was detailed at a meeting of restorers held at the museum on May 15, the day the Moscow Patriarchate announced that Putin had returned the icon .
Archpriest Leonid Kalinin, a trained artist who chairs the Expert Council on Religious Art, Architecture and Restoration of the Russian Orthodox Church, spoke at the gathering about the need for a capsule of high technology to preserve the icon “if a political decision” forces its removal. To add to the intrigue, Father Kalinin, a loyal supporter of Putin and Kirill, was abruptly removed from office and banned from serving as a priest by decree of the Patriarch on May 26.
