MOSCOW, July 12. /TASS/. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova approved an agreement for the formal donation of Andrey Rublev’s 15th-century ‘Holy Trinity’ icon to the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra monastery in Sergiyev Posad, Moscow Region, the Moscow Patriarchate said in a statement on its website on Wednesday.
"The ceremony approving the agreement between the State Tretyakov Gallery and the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra for the transfer of Andrey Rublev’s ‘Holy Trinity’ icon to the Lavra for its free-of-charge use took place in the Portrait Hall of the St. Petersburg Metropolitan building at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra," the statement reads.
St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov, State Secretary of the Union State of Russia and Belarus Dmitry Mezentsev, First Deputy Culture Minister Sergey Obryvalin, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga Varsonophy and other clergymen attended the ceremony.
Later, Hegumeness Ksenia (Chernega), head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Legal Administration, told TASS that the agreement on transfer of the Holy Trinity icon to the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra monastery has been sealed for 49 years and is likely to be extended,
"The agreement has been concluded for 49 years. Its prolongation is provided for in a resolution of the Culture Ministry on approving a standard form of such an agreement. Therefore, so to speak, the agreement will be prolonged after the term expires," Chernega said.
In the meantime, the Russian Art Research and Restoration Center named after Academician I.E. Grabar told TASS that the decisions on how to restore and conserve Russia’s revered icon Holy Trinity will be made by a council, which will bring together leading experts in medieval Russian art.
"All the decisions on required conservation and restoration measures will be adopted at a restoration council after leading experts have assessed the condition of the icon. Leading experts in the field of research, conservation and restoration of Old Russian artworks will be asked to take part in the council," the center’s statement said.
Dmitry Sergeev, Director General of the Grabar restoration center, told TASS that the council, featuring top-notch experts, would hold its first meeting by the end of July.
"The first meeting of the restoration council is expected to be held within ten days after the icon has been brought to the Grabar center," he said, adding that the council would bring together leading experts on medieval Russian art.
Sergeev also said that the Holy Trinity icon would be brought to the restoration center on July 19.
Dating back to the 15th century, the Holy Trinity icon is regarded as one of Rublev’s most famous masterpieces. It was painted for the iconostasis of the Holy Trinity Monastery (now the Holy Trinity - St. Sergius Lavra) at the request of Reverend Nikon of Radonezh (1350-1426), a disciple of St. Sergius of Radonezh and the second abbot of the monastery after him. In 1929, the icon was moved to the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
The Moscow Patriarchate said on May 15 that the icon would be returned to the custody of the Russian Orthodox Church by order of President Vladimir Putin. The Russian Orthodox Church said later that the Holy Trinity icon would be displayed for veneration at Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral on June 4-18. However, Patriarch Kirill said later that the icon would remain on display at the cathedral for a year and then would return to its traditional place in the Trinity Cathedral at the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius monastery. The Tretyakov Gallery in turn, stated that according to an agreement on the icon’s display, it should be returned to the museum’s restoration department no later than June 19. On June 16, it was announced that the duration of its display had been extended to July 18.