Decision on Rublev's Trinity restoration expected after icon assessment by experts - Russian culture minister

MOSCOW. June 26 (Interfax) - A decision on the restoration of Andrei Rublev's Trinity icon will be made after experts assess its condition at the expanded Restoration Council, while the Grabar Restoration Center has prepared a special room for the icon, Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova said.

"The Grabar Restoration Center is ready to receive the Holy Trinity icon. [...] A room with climate control, a gas firefighting system and security infrastructure, including video surveillance, has been prepared for the icon," Lyubimova said on Telegram.

"Decisions regarding the icon's restoration will be made after an expert evaluation of its condition, among other aspects, at the expanded Restoration Council," she said.

"Specialists of the center and other leading institutions will do the relevant conservation and restoration work to preserve this monument," Lyubimova said.

She noted that the icon would remain at the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow until July 18.

The Russian Culture Ministry said earlier that Rublev's Trinity icon would stay at the Christ the Savior Cathedral under expert surveillance, the icon is stable, and no sharp temperature and humidity fluctuations had been observed in the church. The ministry explained the decision to keep the icon in the cathedral longer with the Russian Orthodox Church's request to allow believers to worship the image on the Day of St. Sergius of Radonezh on July 18.

The decision to transfer Rublev's Trinity icon from the State Tretyakov Gallery to the Russian Orthodox Church was reported on May 15. The Russian Culture Ministry said on May 16 that the icon would go on display at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on June 4, then be sent for restoration and thereafter to the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius.

It triggered a broad public response, as museum community members voiced concern about the safety of Rublev's masterpiece. However, on June 3, the icon was successfully transported from the Tretyakov Gallery to the cathedral, where it was placed into a special capsule at the center of the church. The icon was expected to stay there until June 18, under the supervision of the Tretyakov's staff, before heading for its planned restoration.