Rublev's 'Trinity' icon back in Trinity Lavra after climate display case repairs

Andrei Rublev's icon "Holy Trinity" was put back on the iconostasis in the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius on October 5, according to RBC. The outlet cited a source who said that work on the icon's climate-controlled display case had been completed.

What happened in September

On September 12, the outlet Ekho and religion scholar Ksenia Luchenko, citing their sources, reported that the special climate-controlled chamber holding the icon had malfunctioned. Humidity inside was said to have reached 80%, while experts recommend keeping the icon at 50–55%.

Ekho reported that a specialist from Germany travelled to the monastery to fix the chamber, but the equipment failed again soon after his departure.

The Moscow Patriarchate said at the time that the icon had been taken off the iconostasis and that Tretyakov Gallery specialists were carrying out a "routine inspection." A printed reproduction was placed there temporarily. The Tretyakov Gallery, for its part, said "Trinity" was undergoing restoration and confirmed that museum staff would examine its condition.

Background of the icon

"Trinity" was painted between 1422 and 1427 and had been kept at the Tretyakov Gallery since 1929. In spring 2023, Vladimir Putin signed a decree handing it over to the Russian Orthodox Church. The icon was subsequently moved to the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius.