Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God May Return to Russian Orthodox Church
Russia may soon return some of its most sacred historic icons and relics from a national museum to the Russian Orthodox Church ahead of Pascha.
MOSCOW — Three of Russia’s most revered sacred artifacts may soon be transferred from the State Tretyakov Gallery to the Russian Orthodox Church, according to sources cited by The Art Newspaper Russia. The reported transfer could occur before Pascha, which falls on April 12 this year.
Among the items is the renowned Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, the earliest surviving icon of its type and one of Russia’s most venerated religious images. Long associated with the nation’s deliverance from foreign enemies—including the end of the Tatar yoke—the icon was historically kept in the Dormition Cathedral until 1918. Since 1999 it has been displayed at St. Nicholas Church-Museum in Tolmachi, but it is now expected to be moved to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
The proposed transfer also includes the Donskoy Icon of the Mother of God, traditionally linked to the Battle of Kulikovo and painted by Theophanes the Greek. The icon may be returned to Donskoy Monastery, where it was historically housed and is still brought for feast-day services.
A third icon, the wonderworking Dmitrov Cross from the Dormition Cathedral, is also reportedly slated for transfer, though its future location remains unclear. The move would mirror the 2023 transfer of Holy Trinity by Andrei Rublev from the Tretyakov Gallery to the Church.
Previously, the UOJ reported that the wonderworking Kykkos icon was brought out for the first time in 35 years in Cyprus.
