“Trinity” will be left in the HHS for a year, then taken to the Lavra

Patriarch Kirill: “Trinity” Rublev will be in the XXC for a year, then he will leave for the Trinity-Sergius Lavra

Patriarch Kirill said that Andrei Rublev’s icon “Trinity” will be in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior for a year, and then it will be transferred to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

The statement of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church was made on Saturday after the all-night vigil in the Lavra. Cyril said that tomorrow he intends to be in the XXC in order to “pray before the returned image of the Holy Trinity.”

“Then the miraculous image will be in the church for a year,” he said, adding that this is done so that “Muscovites and guests of the capital can bow to this great shrine.”

After that, the image will return “to the holy temple to a historical place.” Cyril noted that he considers the arrival of the Trinity to the Lavra not accidental “right now, when our Fatherland is confronting huge hostile forces.” In this regard, he urged to consider the transfer of the relic from the museum to the Russian Orthodox Church as a sign of “God’s mercy to our people, to our country.”

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church urged to pray before the icon that the Lord would keep Russia “from the invasion of foreigners, from internecine strife and from all destruction.”

It was previously announced that the icon would be exhibited at the KhHS for only two weeks, after which it would be handed over for restoration.

Numerous art critics and employees of the Tretyakov Gallery spoke about the need for restoration work, pointing out that with previous exposure of the “Trinity” in the Lavra the conditions of transportation and storage were violated, which caused damage to the canvas. Some clergy also opposed the exhibiting of the icon in the XXC – for example, the head of the Expert Council on Church Art, Architecture and Restoration of the Moscow Patriarchate father Leonid talked about the need, at least, to first create a special protective capsule for the canvas or even exhibit a copy in the temple. Later it became known that Leonid was suspended from work, a number of media outlets wrote about the priest’s heart problems.