Andrey Rublev’s ‘Trinity’ was delivered to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on Saturday evening. On the eve of Patriarch Kirill said that the icon will be in the temple for a year, meanwhile the Tretyakov Gallery has already declared that no later than June 19 it be returned to the restorers.
How reported at the Ministry of Culture, the icon was “successfully transported” from the Tretyakov Gallery on Saturday evening, June 3, on the eve of the Orthodox Trinity holiday.
By information RIA Novosti, “Trinity” was transported to the temple in a van of the company Art-Courier, which transports works of art. The car was accompanied by cars with flashing lights.
The Ministry of Culture assures that the icon “is installed in a capsule which ensures a humidity regime”, and that the conditions necessary for the conservation of the monument in the temple “will be strictly controlled”.
“The icon will be in the cathedral for a festive service on June 4 and for the next two weeks, until June 18,” the ministry said in a statement.
The Tretyakov Gallery says that, in accordance with the agreement, no later than June 19, the icon “should be returned to the depository of the Department of Scientific Restoration of Old Russian Paintings of the State Tretyakov Gallery.”
Believers will be allowed to worship the icon daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., the culture ministry said. They noted that “technical breaks are possible” lasting up to an hour, which is associated with the need to meet the conditions required for the security of Trinidad. RIA Novosti notes that on Sunday, parishioners have already begun to be allowed into the church to view the icon.
Transfer of the Icon to the Church
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to transfer the “Trinity” to the Russian Orthodox Church became known on May 15. The Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’ press service reported that such a decision was due to “numerous requests from Orthodox believers”.
On Saturday, June 3, shortly before the icon was transported to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Patriarch Kirill said Rublev’s “Trinity” was “associated with special events in the life” of the Russian people. According to the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, the icon is “returning to the church” at a time when the country “opposes enormous hostile forces”.
Previously, in connection with the decision to transfer the icon to the Russian Orthodox Church, experts had expressed concerns about the safety of the Trinity, written in the 15th century.
In particular, the expert council of the Tretyakov Gallery came to the conclusion that the icon could not be transported from the museum and preliminary restoration was necessary. Lev Lifshits, head of the Ancient Russian art sector at the State Institute of Art History, said the icon looked like a seriously ill person who “cannot stand transport”.
As Patriarch Kirill noted, after the icon has been in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior for a year, it will be returned to its historic place – to Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
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