Russian scientists have come up with new initiatives regarding Rublev’s “Trinity”

The Commission on the Culture of Ancient and Medieval Rus’ of the Scientific Council “History of World Culture” of the Russian Academy of Sciences published a statement regarding the future fate of the “Trinity” icon painted by Andrei Rublev. The document (its official title is “Conclusion on the results of the meeting “The Holy Trinity” by Andrei Rublev: problems of conservation and exhibition”) was adopted at an extended meeting of the commission, which was attended by experts in the field of Russian medieval culture, art historians, restorers and museum staff. He proposes a number of measures that should ensure the safety of the priceless monument, including after its intended transfer to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Comments Sergei Khodnev.

There are eighteen signatures under the “Conclusion”, including the signatures of famous “Old Russian” art historians of different generations (Lev Livshits, Gennady Popov, Ekaterina Gladysheva, Alexander Preobrazhensky, Irina Shalina) and authoritative restorers – including Dmitry Sukhoverkov, an employee of the Tretyakov Gallery, who has detailed knowledge of the ill-fated the monument and its problems, and Galina Tsirul, who heads the specialized department for the restoration of tempera painting at the Grabar Center. In a separate paragraph, the authors testified that their position “is not determined by narrow corporate interests or a lack of understanding of the religious significance of ancient icons, but by a sense of professional duty and responsibility for the preservation of a great monument and national cultural heritage.”

Part of the theses of the statement in the controversy surrounding the “Trinity” was heard more than once – this concerns, first of all, its museum status that existed until 2023 (in the Tretyakov Gallery the icon was available to everyone, including representatives of other faiths and non-believers) and the fact that “the physical condition The very material structure of the icon (the wooden base, the ground, the layers of paint) causes great concern.”

The authors insist that the conservation of the monument in the Grabar Center should take place “without haste, with the involvement of specialists who have previously worked with the icon,” that it is necessary to create a special independent Supervisory Council under the Ministry of Culture and the Russian Academy of Sciences to monitor the condition of the icon, and to develop “strict conditions for storing the icon in the monastery and mechanisms for their objective verification by professionals.” And they add: “All documents concerning the fate of the Trinity, including already issued decrees, concluded agreements, protocols of restoration councils, etc., must be published in full and immediately.” It is especially difficult to disagree with this. One-sidedness, inconsistency, censorship and inconsistency are the mildest that can be said regarding the official information support of the ongoing story with “Trinity”.

But the most unexpected initiative concerns the location of the icon in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. The authors of the statement remind that it will be difficult to place the image in the Lavra Trinity Cathedral: the temple is small, services are frequent, the capsule display case with the icon cannot fit into the ancient iconostasis, next to which, in addition, there is always a queue for the shrine of St. Sergius of Radonezh, climatic conditions and proper security it is also impossible to provide. However, they offer two options. The first is the exhibition of the “Trinity” in the former Lavra Sacristy, but this is not very realistic, given the apparent desire to place the icon in the temple space at any cost. The second is its placement in the Spiritual Church, which “stands next to the Trinity Cathedral and is closely connected with it both by the features of its architecture and the symbolism of the dedication.” The idea looks like a sketch of a more or less bearable compromise: in the Spiritual Church, where there is no influx of pilgrims and where services are held only once a week, it would indeed be possible to create acceptable conditions for the Trinity. However, this also takes time, and according to Kommersant’s information, they still intend to transport the icon to the Lavra next summer, despite any conclusions.