Revealed the details of the restoration council, which refused to give “Trinity” to the Russian Orthodox Church

Even if you can’t stand the saints

The events around the legendary “Trinity” are increasingly reminiscent of an action-packed drama. On the very day when the president’s decision to donate the icon to the church became known (first to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior for a year, and then forever to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra), an Extended Restoration Council was held in the Tretyakov Gallery. It passed tensely – Archpriest Leonid Kalinin participated in it from the Russian Orthodox Church, who arranged a uniform interrogation for the restorers. And yet the decision of the council was unanimous: until the “Trinity” reaches a stable state (and after a trip a year ago, her “health” has noticeably deteriorated), it is impossible to take her anywhere. “The icon should be in a state of rest in the short term,” said Elena Pronicheva, director of the State Tretyakov Gallery, and remains in this position now. And the main thing was the conclusion “about the urgent need to create a list of monuments of the national cultural heritage, among which the icon of the Holy Trinity must be present, whose movement from museum collections should be prohibited.”

The extended restoration council began with a detailed report on the current state of the 15th century monument and its changes during the year. After staying in the Trinity Cathedral from July 16 to July 19, the icon returned to the Tretyakov Gallery and was under observation. By the end of August, it was stated that 61 new sections of gesso and paint layer backlogs were added to the already existing chronic problems, five of them needed urgent strengthening. The necessary emergency procedures were carried out twice – in August and December. However, new problems arose: “another 10 newly formed backlogs of gesso with a paint layer were revealed; 5 of them require urgent restoration strengthening; the crack along the right junction of the base boards on the image of the face and figure of the right Angel has increased.

Recall that the crack is an old and one of the most dangerous problems of the monument; The crack is over a meter long. In this place, the boards on which the icon is written do not fit snugly, they are movable. Over the past year, the distance between them has increased – in one of the control areas – by 10 mm, in the other – by 5 mm. Accordingly, the canvas and paint around the crack are moving away more and more. The latest detailed examinations were carried out using 3D scanning and macro photography, which allows fixing problem areas with maximum accuracy. And, despite the fortifications of dangerous places made in August, and then in December, the condition of the icon is deteriorating.

After this report, a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church, Archpriest Leonid Kalinin, entered into a dialogue with the restorers – not only a priest, but also a sculptor (the great-nephew of Yevgeny Vuchetich and the son of artists), and most importantly, the chairman of the expert council on church art, architecture and restoration. Father Leonid asked with an onslaught: “Who was responsible for transporting the icon? Was its stability during transportation ensured? And were the necessary rules observed when transferring the icon to some new ark? All these issues are also of concern to the public, because if the transportation and exhibition last summer were carried out in accordance with all the rules, it would be possible to avoid the consequences that threaten the life of the shrine.

The meaning of the responses of the chief custodian of the State Tretyakov Gallery, Tatyana Gorodkova, was something like this: they did what they could, in the conditions in which they were placed. Namely: the transportation was carried out by a specialized company, which placed the icon in a vario-box, which protects against vibrations and maintains the climate. And that, in turn, was placed in another box so that the icon would move vertically. In the Trinity Cathedral, the icon was exhibited in a showcase “with the so-called passive climate.” But “it wasn’t a climate capsule,” the keeper admitted. And also, probably, the moment when the icon (weighing 25 kg) was taken out of the boxes and attached to the display case affected. During the unpacking, a lot of people were present, which means that they all influenced the temperature and humidity, which in the cathedral does not correspond to what the fragile Trinity needs anyway.

“Who is personally responsible for this?” – followed the question of the archpriest. Head Department of Old Russian Art Elena Saenkova answered: “We told Vladyka Thomas (Bishop of Sergiev Posad. – Auth.) that at the moment there are no appropriate conditions in the country’s museums and there is no appropriate equipment that could protect the icon from such transportation.” Representatives of the Russian Railways, unknown to us, were present, who told us that we do not understand anything about technologies, that such technologies exist.

What’s in the dry matter? The icon was taken away a year ago despite all the pleas and protests of the restorers and curators, and now they are going to repeat this experience. Father Leonid finally stated that it is necessary to “make decisions that will be really useful both for society and the church, and especially for those shrines that survive and must survive centuries.” That is, he sided with the experts. But, it seems, he could not convey to his leadership the whole danger of the decision to move the Trinity. Apparently, the necessary climate capsule has not been developed in a year. Elena Pronicheva is also on the side of specialists and is trying at least to postpone the removal of the icon – until there is a necessary showcase, documents that comply with the law. Indeed, according to the law “On the Museum Fund of the Russian Federation”, a museum exhibit cannot become the property of the church.

By June 4, as the patriarch wanted, “Trinity” is unlikely to leave the walls of the Tretyakov Gallery – by this time they will not have time to resolve the issues raised above. And, perhaps, the delay will play its role and who needs to read the conclusions of the restoration council, the main of which is a matter of national importance: the creation of a list of monuments of national cultural heritage, whose movement from museum collections should be prohibited. The publication of the minutes of the RPC meeting now is the last cry with a call to think again and approach the issue as it should, and not as always. Maybe it won’t work here. An ancient monument may not survive the move.

Published in the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets” No. 29036 dated May 25, 2023

Newspaper headline:
Don’t take out the saints!