Russia’s revered ‘Trinity’ icon reportedly damaged after climate-control system breaks down

Russia’s early 15th-century “Trinity” icon by Andrei Rublev, considered the country’s most valuable religious artwork, is reportedly at risk after a climate-control capsule malfunction at the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra monastery near Moscow. The icon was transferred from the State Tretyakov Gallery to the Russian Orthodox Church under President Vladimir Putin’s orders in 2023, though it remains state property under the transfer terms. Nun and Moscow Patriarchate legal chief Ksenia Chernega told RBC on 15 September that the icon has been temporarily replaced in its capsule by a copy, with RBC reporting the copy was installed in August; the Tretyakov press service told Tass on 14 September the icon is in the Lavra’s restoration workshops while staff check its condition. Ekho reported on 12 September that humidity inside the case spiked to about 80%—well above the 50–55% previously recommended by then-Tretyakov director Elena Pronicheva—and that a German specialist found the case malfunctioning but could not return due to “complexities of international relations.”

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