![]() ![]() In a thank-you letter to Putin posted on 17 May, Patriarch Kirill wrote: “During the era of persecution of the Church, many Orthodox shrines were destroyed by the enemies of God, and a significant part of the objects of our spiritual and cultural heritage ended up in museums, abroad or in private collections. The impending transfer was first reported on 15 May on the website of the Moscow Patriarchate as Putin’s “response to the numerous requests of Orthodox believers” for the return of “the wonder-working icon”. Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said on 16 May about the Trinity’s transfer that formally it is “the prerogative of the ministry of culture” and “without a doubt was coordinated with the head of state”. When the full icon was revealed it had a revolutionary impact on both art and spirituality, influencing the Russian avant-garde. ![]() It was protected under order of Ivan the Terrible with a golden covering known as a “riza” that remained in place until 1904, leaving only the faces and hands of the angels visible. The icon, which depicts three angels visiting the Prophet Abraham at the Oak of Mamre, as described in the Book of Genesis, is regarded as one of the greatest visual representations of Trinitarian unity, and had been kept at the monastery until it was taken by the Soviet state. It also opens the door to a flood of restitution claims by the church based on a 2010 law allowing religious organisations to claim all property that had been seized by the Soviet state. The move, following the weekend announcement that the Hermitage is returning to the church the sarcophagus of the medieval warrior saint Alexander Nevsky, is widely seen as a gesture of thanks for Patriarch Kirill’s vocal support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and as a sign of superstitious beliefs among Russia’s elites that the icon can bring battlefield victory. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the handover of Russia’s most famous icon and work of art, Andrei Rublev’s 15th-century Trinity, from the State Tretyakov Gallery to the Russian Orthodox Church, raising fears among conservators that the fragile artefact will be irrevocably damaged.
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