The main icons that should be in every home
Every apartment and every house must have an icon of Jesus Christ and, of course, the Orthodox Cross.
There must be an icon of the main patroness of the family and family hearth, the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Icons and other family patrons are placed in the home iconostasis, and do not forget about those to whom you often pray.
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Take into account: it is better to have a few icons that you pray to and thank, than many, but whose power you do not know.
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What icon should be in the kitchen
In Christianity you will not find a clear prescription of which icons should be located and where exactly. The main thing is that it should be located in a free place, and the room should not be cluttered, so as not to be distracted when addressing the holy face.
Most often, those icons that are most often accessed are placed in the kitchen. This could be the Holy Trinity or Christ the Savior.
Deeply religious people place an icon of the Last Supper in the kitchen or dining room.
There are no strict instructions on this matter, but if you do not know the history of this icon, then it is better not to place it in the house, but no one will forbid you, it carries a deep meaning.
The editors of the site recommend that you familiarize yourself with the history and meaning of the icon of the Sign of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Where to place the horses
In the old days, icons were placed in the eastern corner of the main room - it was called the “red corner”. This is due to the special symbolic meaning given to the eastern side in the Bible: in the east God planted the Garden of Eden, the spirit leads the prophet Ezekiel to the eastern gates of the House of the Lord, etc.
Unfortunately, the location of windows and doors in modern houses does not always allow placing a home iconostasis in the eastern corner. In this case, it can be located in any other place. The main thing is that a separate shelf be allocated for icons, where no one will put photographs, paintings, reproductions, and other secular objects.
You should not place icons next to a TV, player or computer, because these objects are associated with worldly vanity. It is permissible to place icons on a bookshelf, but only on condition that the contents of the books on it do not contradict Christian teaching. Posters with images of singers, actors and other secular idols should not be allowed to hang next to icons.
The most powerful icons for the home
It is impossible to do without the holy faces of Christ the Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos. Nicholas the Wonderworker is also revered by believers and will certainly help if you ask him for protection. The no less famous icon of the Holy Trinity will definitely protect your home from evil and misfortune.
The icon of the Last Supper is also strong, this image is very much valued, so it can be placed above the icons of Christ the Savior and the Mother of God. But you shouldn’t mindlessly broadcast it in your apartment if you don’t understand its intent and true meaning.
Icons that will give your home blessing, peace and harmony.
The faces of the patron saints of home and family will protect your hearth from evil: Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom, Saints Joachim and Anna - the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Xenia of St. Petersburg and Matrona of Moscow.
These are the most famous icons that you must have at home and constantly pray to them.
An icon for home protection is the face of a saint who will stand guard over your family and your loved ones. The faces of the Mother of God and the Savior are considered such icons. In the church, these icons are considered the most universal; they will help in any situation, you just need to pray.
Red corner in the apartment
The red corner is a home iconostasis, a place in the house where a believer can read prayers and communicate with the Lord God and the saints. As a rule, icons and other holy objects are located in the red corner.
The red corner should be located in a quiet and secluded place in the house or apartment so that nothing distracts the praying person.
Please note: only icons can be placed in a home iconostasis; it is not advisable for photographs of deceased and living loved ones to be placed next to icons.
Manufacturing of parts
You can make shelves for images with balusters under the crossbars. To do this, you need to buy or rent a portable lathe. It is advisable to use a pattern so that the side is made of identical symmetrical fragments.
Do-it-yourself home iconostasis is made in the following sequence:
- applying markings to workpieces;
- cutting out horizontal shelves, crossbars and vertical walls;
- leveling and sanding the edges of boards;
- production of balusters;
- drilling holes for fastening parts;
- connecting fragments into a single structure;
- finishing and decoration.
Finally, the finished product is tried on the wall. Screws are screwed into it, and the shelf is hung on them.
Single tier straight shelving
Shelves of this type are chosen to accommodate a large number of images or if all the corners in the room are occupied. The shelves are hung on the east wall of the room. Even for such a relatively simple rack to manufacture, drawings are necessary. Preliminary planning will allow you to fit all the details with high accuracy and calculate the required amount of building materials.
For a single-tier structure, it is necessary to take boards with a thickness of at least 15 mm. The height of the back wall should be more than 30 cm so that the images do not protrude above it. The iconostasis should be placed at eye level, provided that there are no other bright or decorative interior items nearby. To install a candle or lamp, a non-flammable stand should be provided. In order not to clutter the product with the side, you can run a low threshold along the bottom crossbar to fix the frames.
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Corner shelves
In most cases, a corner shelf for icons is made in 2 or 3 tiers. This is due to the need to place several images in a small space. The optimal size is considered to be a height of 70-75 cm and symmetrical shelves 40-50 cm wide. A larger structure will look bulky even in a large room.
Do-it-yourself corner shelves for icons are made in the following sequence:
- Assembly of panels of a given configuration. They are made from boards by gluing or stapling.
- Transferring schematic images to workpieces. Marking the points for drilling holes.
- Sawing out parts. Processing their edges with a milling cutter and abrasive materials. Fitting the iconostasis fragments together.
- Application of decorative elements to vertical and horizontal surfaces.
- Connection of all components into a single structure. Use nails without heads, angles, screws or wood glue.
It is better to varnish the iconostasis before placing it in place, so as not to stain the wall.
What icon to buy for a new apartment
Even in ancient times, it was the custom to enter a new house with an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. This is one of the most necessary images of saints, which should be in every home.
Therefore, it is not necessary to buy a specific icon for a new apartment if you already have the face of the Most Holy Theotokos. If there is no icon of the Matrona of Moscow in your home iconostasis, you can purchase it.
What icon should be in a children's room?
The most important icon that should be in a child’s room from an early age is the Guardian Angel.
If you hang it in the room, it will help the child find his way and will protect him and his faith throughout his life.
The icon of St. Nicholas will protect the physical and moral health of the child. The icon of the Mother of God in the nursery will preserve warm family ties between the child and parents and will help protect them from evil and aggression.
It doesn’t matter how many icons there will be in your home, what matters is your attitude and faith.
Prayer of the Seven Shot Mother of God Softening Evil Hearts
A plea for help addressed to the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, is one of the most powerful petitions of the Lord. There are a lot of images of the Queen of Heaven depicted on icons and lists, and one of them is the miraculous Mother of God of the Seven Arrows.
This face of the Most Pure Virgin is considered one of the most powerful icons in the Orthodox church world. For many centuries in a row, Orthodox believers appealed to the Blessed Virgin Mary for help and intercession precisely through this image.
Prayer to the Seven Shots Icon of the Mother of God
The icon depicts the Virgin Mary, without the Son of God Jesus Christ, her heart is pierced by seven arrows or swords. Why seven? In the Orthodox world, the number seven denotes the “fullness” of anything.
This image of the Most Pure Mother of God symbolizes the fullness of all the grief that Mary experienced during her life; the weapon passed through her soul, through her sorrows and heart illnesses. Also, there is another vision of this image: seven arrows are the seven sinful passions of a person, which the Most Holy Theotokos can read in any heart without much difficulty.
A strong prayer to the “Seven Arrows” icon helps everyone who asked for help, which is why, every day, many people gather in the Church of the Holiest of the Angels Michael to ask the Virgin Mary for help.
What prayer to read to the “Seven Arrow” icon
Orthodox believers ask the Virgin Mary for reconciliation between warring parties, deliverance from hardness of heart, deliverance from anger and hatred towards someone. The prayer of the “Seven Arrow” Mother of God - “Softening Evil Hearts” is designed to give people hope that mercy, kindness and love will reign in the world, there will be no place for enmity, anger and rage.
The image of the Mother of God “Seven Arrows” and “Softening Evil Hearts” are often confused, since they are almost identical, the only difference being that in the first case, the Virgin Mary is pierced by arrows, and in the second, she is pierced by swords. But among the people, as a rule, both images are referred to as the “Seven Shot” Mother of God.
The prayer to the Mother of God of Seven Arrows is said at her miraculous face in these words:
“O long-suffering Mother of God, Higher than all the daughters of the earth, in Your purity and in the multitude of sufferings You have brought to the earth, accept our much-painful sighs and keep us under the shelter of Your mercy. Do You know of no other refuge and warm intercession, but, since You have the boldness to be born of You, help and save us with Your prayers, so that we may without stumbling reach the Kingdom of Heaven, where with all the saints we will sing praises in the Trinity to the one God, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen".
Prayer of the Seven Shot Mother of God - how to ask correctly
In order for your request to the Mother of God to come true as quickly as possible, you need to follow some rules:
- Go to an Orthodox church;
- Light a candle for health in front of the icon of the Virgin Mary;
- Pray before the icon of the Son of God Jesus Christ;
- Buy a candle with which you will pray at home;
- Returning home, retire to a separate room, light a candle in front of the image of the Mother of God and ask the Queen of Heaven for help in matters disturbing the soul.
Today, the miraculous myrrh-streaming image of the Most Pure Virgin Mary is kept in Moscow, on the Maiden Field, in the Church of the Archangel Michael.
Days of veneration of the holy face:
The image of the Most Holy Theotokos, pierced by seven arrows, is venerated according to the new style on August 13 (old style - August 26).
The most important thing is not to be afraid to turn to the Lord God, the Mother of God, Jesus Christ or God's Saints and Great Martyrs for help. Sincere prayer is a powerful weapon for solving any problem. Not a single conspiracy, not a single magical act can be compared to prayer in terms of impact.
God commanded people to turn to him for help, and not to the dark forces of the devil. Any appeal to the Lord should begin with the prayer “Our Father”, and then ask for the indulgence of God’s grace, healing from an illness or solution to a problem
We advise you to study Prayers for troubles at work
Not a single conspiracy, not a single magical act can be compared to prayer in terms of impact. God commanded people to turn to him for help, and not to the dark forces of the devil. Any appeal to the Lord should begin with the prayer “Our Father”, and then ask for God’s grace, healing from an illness or solution to a problem.
Don’t be afraid to turn to the Lord, he will hear everyone and help even in the most intractable situation.
God bless you!
Watch also the video prayer to the Most Pure Mother of God “Softening Evil Hearts”:
