“Trinity” was published without protection

The ancient image will remain in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior until summer

On the eve of Christmas, Andrei Rublev’s “Trinity” was delivered to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior from the Grabar Restoration Center. And this despite all the efforts of the Ministry of Culture and the art history community, which called for leaving the icon alone and not transporting it anywhere without a special climate capsule. Nevertheless, the fragile image arrived at the temple, where it was placed in an ordinary showcase without temperature and humidity conditions. As the Patriarchate reported, the icon will remain in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior until the Feast of the Holy Trinity, which this year will fall on June 23.

In the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the “Trinity” took a place near the right choir. Around there are vases with flowers, the proximity of which to the icon is fraught with the appearance of mold or mildew. In addition, before the Christmas service, the preventative tapes were removed from the icon, with the help of which restorers track the movement of the boards. The fact is that the basis of the 15th century masterpiece is three connected boards; over time, gaps appeared between them; the boards themselves “walk,” which is why the paint layer crumbles. This is why transportation is so dangerous for a fragile image: vibration can cause the gaps between the boards to increase. Now, without professional adhesives, it will be more difficult to track changes in the condition of the ancient monument. And there is no certainty that restorers have access to the icon.

“Two months ago I attended a meeting at the Ministry of Culture, where restorers were given very strict instructions. There was a serious commitment to preserving the icon and comprehensively monitoring its condition, for example, using 3D scanning,” Lev Lifshits, a leading expert on ancient Russian art, Doctor of Art History, tells MK. — That is, the Ministry of Culture understands everything and keeps it under control, but I have no idea what’s in the minds of the representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church. It’s hard to say what’s going on with Trinity now.

It seems that, despite the assurances of Patriarch Kirill that the issue of creating special conditions for the “Trinity” will be approached with the utmost responsibility, the Russian Orthodox Church decided to rely on the will of God. The risk of loss is also increased by the fact that the icon was transported in severe frosts, and temperature changes are extremely harmful for a fragile icon. At the temple, it was unpacked under “field conditions” that did not comply with the rules.

It seems that the Ministry of Culture is unable to influence the Russian Orthodox Church. However, in his “patrimony” – the Vladimir-Suzdal Museum-Reserve (museum of federal subordination) – an exhibition about the “Bogolyubskaya Mother of God” is being prepared, the history of which resonates with the situation around the “Trinity”. The image, created by order of Grand Duke Andrei Bogolyubsky in the 12th century, was transferred from the museum of the Vladimir-Suzdal diocese in the 1990s. This icon was the first and oldest returned to the church. In the agreement on the transfer of the monument to the Vladimir Holy Dormition Monastery, it was stipulated that the temple would ensure its safety and create an optimal temperature and humidity regime for it. “Our Lady of Bogolyubskaya” was exhibited in a climate capsule, however, as it later turned out, it did not work.

The church servants simply did not notice when the display case turned off, because they did not check. There were always flowers next to the “Our Lady of Bogolyubskaya”. As a result, mold appeared on the icon, which was noticed by the restorer of the Grabar Center during a visit to the monastery and sounded the alarm. The national shrine was saved by a miracle. Its condition was so bad that they did not dare to immediately send the icon-painting masterpiece to the Restoration Center and the first work was carried out on site on a rotational basis. The “treatment” took six years. Thanks to art historians, the national shrine, which was on the verge of destruction, was found again. This story should have been a lesson. But it seems that the Russian Orthodox Church has now forgotten about her. It’s time to remember.