The Trinity icon by Andrei Rublev was brought to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in 20-degree frost, despite the threat of destruction

The Trinity icon by Andrei Rublev was brought to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior for the Christmas holidays, the Moscow Patriarchate reports .

“On the evening of January 5, 2024, an icon of the Holy Trinity, painted by Rev. Andrei Rublev, was brought to the Cathedral Cathedral of Christ the Savior. <…> The image of the Holy Trinity was placed in a special icon case and installed near the right choir of the temple,” the Russian Orthodox Church said.

The BBC Russian Service, citing sources in the Ministry of Culture, claims that the icon was delivered and placed without the necessary climate control, which could cause it to collapse. The shrine was brought to the temple by car at a temperature of minus 20 degrees.

As the Moscow Patriarchate clarifies, the “Trinity” will be exhibited during Christmas celebrations and during services that will be conducted by Patriarch Kirill himself. The shrine was removed from the restoration center named after Academician Igor Grabar.

Russian President Vladimir Putin handed over the “Trinity” to the Russian Orthodox Church in May 2023; before that, the icon was kept in the Tretyakov Gallery for about 100 years. In the summer of 2023, the shrine was exhibited for more than a month in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior without the necessary climate control. Later she was taken for restoration to the center of Grabar, from where she was then supposed to go to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra for 49 years.