Report: Russian Orthodox patriarch interrupts Easter service to thank Putin for transferring icons from state museum
Patriarch Kirill interrupted the Easter service at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in the early hours of April 12 to thank Vladimir Putin for transferring two icons from the Tretyakov Gallery to the Russian Orthodox Church, the independent Russian investigative outlet Agentstvo reported.The transfer would enter “not only the history of the country and the history of the Church, but deeply into the history of our people,” the Patriarch said.Putin, who was present at the service, responded with a bow and then left.The Vladimir Mother of God icon dates to the first third of the 12th century; the Don Mother of God icon dates to the late 14th century. The Tretyakov Gallery transferred them to the Russian Orthodox Church earlier in April, and the icons were put on display at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Patriarch Kirill said the transfer was carried out on Putin’s orders.At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected].To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.
