MOSCOW, October 14. /TASS/. The 17th-century Lord Almighty icon lost in the 1920s has been returned to its historical place, the Moscow Cathedral of the Intercession of the Theotokos, commonly known as St. Basil’s Cathedral, which is currently both a cathedral and a museum. The relic has been available to visitors and worshippers since Monday, a TASS correspondent reported.
"A unique Russian cultural heritage object and Russian icon art painting has just been handed over to the State Historical Museum. I believe this is a unique historical artifact, because it is closely related to the history of Moscow and the history of our state. This is the Lord Almighty icon, a gift from well-known collector Stanislav Nikolayev [Chairman of the Merkator Holding Board of Directors — TASS] and Igor Levitin [Russian Presidential Aide]," Historical Museum Director Alexei Levykin said at a ceremony on Monday.
The miracle-working icon revered by Muscovites was believed to be lost after 1927. Stanislav Nikolayev found it in an antiques market in 2018 and purchased it. "The icon found its place, hopefully, for many years and, perhaps, for centuries. I came across the icon quite by chance, as I said before. Together with the board of trustees led by Levitin, we made the decision, got the patriarch’s blessing, and so the icon returned here, to its place," he said.