
During the last years the Russian Orthodox Church became a very powerful organization pretending to some objects of worship, which are kept in museum deposits. So far as these objects are mainly medieval icons, the reason is called restitution of property, confiscated by the Soviet government. Meanwhile some of them had already been kept in museums before the accession to power of the Bolshevik. The 12-th century icon ‘Our Lady of Bogoliubovo was moved from the museum in Vladimir into the Dormition cathedral of Kniaginin monastery. The icon was never situated in that church. Sometimes the restitution looks really a little strange, for example the shrine with a fragment of the Christ’s robe. It was in the Dormition cathedral Moscow Kremlin from 1625 to 2007 when it was removed into the cathedral of Christ the Our Saviour. In other words the objects which are the masterpieces of medieval art are traveling within and between Russian towns.
The sequence of requests, demands and claims was for a long noticeable only for museum staff and art historians devoting themselves to medieval studies, who naturally didn’t like it. The situation changed radically when Tretiakov Gallery became a request to lend the "Holy Trinity" of Andrej Rublev for the divine service on the Holy Trinity holiday on June, 17th. The icon would be transported to the famous Holy Trinity Monastery which it comes from. First of all, according to experience of such previous actions nobody would return it to the gallery. Secondly, Rublev’s "Holy Trinity" is a world important masterpiece under UNESCO guard. Thirdly, in the museum the icon was saved from the destruction. And finally the transportation (and what is more staying in the church full of people and candle smoke) can be fatal for the icon. The scandal was broken out. The subject was passionately discussed in the news, blogs and TV. The both sides of conflict were interviewed more than once. Little by little a sequence of arguments, insults, threatenings and protests came to naught. The destiny of the "Holy Trinity" icon stays unclear. The directorate of Tretiakov Gallery has said neither "yes" nor "no". The celebration day is coming soon.
The next cause has recently taken place. The complex of 15th-16th century icons kept in the Andrej Rublev museum of Old Russian art and culture was demanded to return into the church they come from. The Placing of the Virgin’s Robe wooden church of the Borodava settlement is happily in the Kirillo-Belozerskiy museum. However there are no necessary conditions in the building for keeping and exhibition of 400-years old icons. The initiative of the action seems to belong to the governor of Vologda Region. The case earns notice, because the icons are transported to Kirillov. Happily a compromise was reached and the icons will be inserted into the permanent museum exposition.
The transportation of works of art is expensive and laborious. It is simply not useful for the things. If the initiator of all described actions(and many another not mentioned here) is the Russian Orthodox Church, what does it have as its object? If it is not the Church, qui bono?