Details of the contents of the “Trinity” Rublev in the Tretyakov Lavra will specify an additional agreement

“Destruction Progresses”

The Tretyakov Gallery is preparing a special document, which will spell out the details of the content of Rublev’s masterpiece in the Trinity Cathedral. According to the agreement, previously signed by Patriarch Kirill and Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova, the icon is transferred to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra for free use.

At the same time, as the head of the legal department of the Moscow Patriarchate, Abbess Xenia (Chernega), clarified, the agreement provides for “the distribution of duties and responsibilities between the two parties,” that is, the Russian Orthodox Church and the Tretyakov Gallery are the copyright holders of the icon. “The icon remains in the operational management of the Tretyakov Gallery,” Chernega explained. What does this mean in practice, understood “MK”.

“The icon is given to the Lavra for free use, but remains on the inventory numbers of the Tretyakov Gallery. In fact, this means that the museum is responsible for it.

We are now preparing a large material with the director of the State Tretyakov Gallery, Elena Vladimirovna Pronicheva, and the Ministry of Culture on how everything will function. All the conditions for a long-term transfer and supervision will be written there: how the icon will be observed, restored, and maintained. The agreement will be structured in such a way that the specialists of the Tretyakov Gallery have access to the Trinity and can monitor its condition. At the moment, the specialists of the State Tretyakov Gallery come to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior twice a day and take testimony, ”the press service of the Tretyakov Gallery told MK.

“Trinity” must go to the Grabar Restoration Center no later than July 19. As explained in the press service of the State Tretyakov Gallery, before that, a separate agreement will be signed between the Tretyakov Gallery and the Grabar Center, where they will also discuss the conditions for the access of museum specialists to Rublev’s masterpiece before it moves to the Lavra. When asked whether the condition of the fragile icon of the beginning of the 15th century, which has been in the XXC since June 3, is stable, the interlocutor of MK found it difficult to answer.

Despite the assurances of the Tretyakov Gallery, experts doubt that now specialists have the opportunity to observe the state of the icon. About this correspondent “MK” the day before told Lev Lifshits, the leading specialist in ancient Russian art, doctor of art history, member of the commission of the Ministry of Culture on especially valuable objects of cultural heritage, has been heading the sector of ancient Russian art at the State Institute of Art Studies for 20 years.

The specialists of this leading center in Russia for the comprehensive study of domestic and foreign art are now preparing a conference on the topic: “The Holy Trinity” by Andrey Rublev: problems of conservation and exhibition.” Obviously, this meeting of experts will be another attempt to draw attention to the critical condition of the monument and the dangers that threaten it.

The description of the conference, which is coordinated by Alexander Preobrazhensky, Deputy Director for Research at the State Institute of Architecture, reminds of the complex of problems that arose after the “tour” of the icon to the Lavra a year ago.

“Moving over a considerable distance and the lack of proper exhibiting conditions in the existing temple in a predictable way affected the condition of the monument. After returning to the Tretyakov Gallery, more than 60 areas of the surface of the Trinity were found to have damage to the soil and paintings. Despite the efforts of highly qualified restorers, the condition of the icon remains unstable: its destruction, caused by the transfer to the Lavra, is progressing, many areas are recognized as emergency.

These data, presented at a meeting of the extended Restoration Council of the Tretyakov Gallery on May 15, 2023, led the members of the Council to a unanimous conclusion: in the near future, the Trinity cannot leave the walls of the museum, even for a short time (…). All these actions, taken in spite of the unanimous negative verdict of experts, can be disastrous for the unique icon of Andrei Rublev’s writing and cause irreparable damage to Russian culture,” the GII said in a statement.

The scientific community continues to repeat everything that it has been repeating for more than a year: the Trinity is so fragile that if the necessary conditions are not met, the monument will die irreversibly. But the situation is unfolding in such a way that it is unlikely that the opinion of art critics will be heard. Perhaps, when the “thunder strikes” and the destruction of the paint layer reaches its apogee, the restorers will be involved in the “reanimation” of the monument. For now, we can only hope for a miracle.