Putin's Utilization of Rublev's Trinity as a Cultural Weapon Sparks Controversy

The return of Andrey Rublev’s celebrated "Holy Trinity" icon to the custody of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) from its current home at Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery could be fraught with the risk of altogether losing the masterpiece, which has important cultural significance. 

"It could simply be lost; it could disintegrate into several pieces: It consists of three plates that are not very securely attached to each other.  This icon has never been considered to be one that produced miracles. The ‘Holy Trinity’ icon is Russia’s main contribution to Christian iconography, [and the main thing about it] is not its religious significance, but its importance for the field of art history," said Yelizaveta Likhacheva, director of Moscow’s Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts.

The Moscow Patriarchate reported on its website on May 15 that Andrey Rublev’s "Holy Trinity" icon would be returned to the custody of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) by order of President Vladimir Putin. The Russian Orthodox Church has supported Putin’s war in Ukraine, blessing Russian soldiers and promising them salvation if they perish on the battlefield. May 16, the Russian Ministry of Culture’s press service confirmed that the celebrated 15th century icon would be put on display at Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior on Orthodox Pentecost Sunday, which falls on June 4 this year. After that, it will be restored and returned to its traditional place as the centerpiece of the iconostasis (wall of icons in an Eastern Orthodox church) in the Trinity Cathedral at the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius monastery in the town of Sergiev Posad, 70 kilometers northeast of Moscow.