Putin Orders Return of Famous Russian Icon to Church, Prompting Protests from Conservators

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the State Tretyakov Gallery to return one of the country’s most precious religious icons, Andrei Rublev’s 15th-century Trinity, to the Russian Orthodox Church, as art experts worldwide warn that the artifact is too fragile for travel. “All professional restorers unanimously say that the condition of the Trinity plaque is such that any movement of it, even for a short distance, is fraught with danger and the icon may simply