Sergiev Posad, Moscow Province, Russia, June 24, 2024
Photo: patriarchia.ru
After 104 years, St. Andrei Rublev’s world-famous Holy Trinity Icon has finally returned to its historical home at the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra for good.
The 15th-century icon initially found its home on the iconostasis of the Holy Trinity Cathedral at the Lavra, founded by St. Sergius of Radonezh in the 14th century. However, when the godless authorities came to power in Russia, they removed the icon from the monastery. In 1929, after nine years in a museum in Zagorsk (Sergiev Posad), it was transferred to the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, where it remained until last year, except for a few days in July 2022 when the icon was taken to the Lavra for the 600th anniversary of the uncovering of the relics of St. Sergius.
The Icon was delivered to Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow in time for Pentecost 2023, after which it underwent professional restoration. It was then returned to Christ the Savior in January of this year.
And this weekend, the Icon returned to its historical home, where it will now remain for good.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill led the meeting of the Icon at the Lavra on Saturday evening, June 22, in time for the All-Night Vigil for the feast of Pentecost, reports Patriarchia.ru.
A group of clergy carried the Icon from the gates of the monastery to the Holy Trinity Cathedral, where it was installed in its historical place, on the right of the Royal Doors.
“When the Icon was taken out of the Lavra, when the monastery was desecrated, those evil people probably couldn’t even imagine that the time would come not only for the return of the holy Icon to the place where it originally was, but also for the revival of faith in our people in general,” the Patriarch preached.
And the Russian primate blessed the establishment of a new feast:
In honor of this event, I bless you to call this day the day of bringing of the miraculous Holy Trinity Icon to the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra and to celebrate polyeleos-rank Divine services annually.
His Holiness then celebrated the All-Night Vigil with a host of hierarchs and clerics.
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