World-famous icon of the Trinity returned to the Russian Orthodox Church by Andrei Rublev

The Russian Orthodox Church is getting back one of the most famous cult images in Russia – the icon of the Trinity by Andrei Rublev. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed the relevant order. An official statement from the press service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’ reads:

“In response to numerous requests from Orthodox believers, the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has decided to return the miraculous icon of the Holy Trinity, painted by St. Andrei Rublev, to the Russian Orthodox Church.”

Later in the year, the icon will be displayed for public veneration at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. After that, she will be taken to her historical place in the Trinity Cathedral in the Trinity Monastery. However, it is not yet known when it will be exhibited, the head of the Patriarchal Council for Culture, Metropolitan Tikhon, told the news agency RIA Novosti. According to him, all the necessary conditions for preserving the icon according to the requirements of the Tretyakov Gallery must first be met.

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The Trinity icon is considered the pinnacle of Old Russian painting and is attributed to the famous icon painter Andrei Rublev. It was probably made in the 15th century for the Trinity Monastery, where it was until 1917. In 1929 the cult painting was handed over to the State Tretyakov Gallery.

Since then, the icon has rarely left the museum. Only in the summer of 2022, on the initiative of Patriarch Kirill, she was taken to the Trinity Monastery for a service. At the time, this decision raised concerns. After returning to the gallery, the artwork was in good condition, according to official information. However, according to the art historian Xenia Korobejnikova, restorers have discovered a total of 61 “significant changes” to the icon.

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