IN Orthodox tradition Icon painting and the veneration of holy images occupy a special position. As you know, in Catholicism there are slightly different images that are more like paintings, and some other branches of Christianity do not accept revered images at all. Nevertheless, an Orthodox believer needs to know which icons must be in the house, why and where these images should be placed.

Before we start looking at the different images, we need to define some basic details. Many believers understand them, but repeating and emphasizing them will be very useful:

Therefore, when choosing where icons should be placed in an apartment, you should focus primarily on the personal connection with each image. You need to realize the value of a particular icon for your own religious practice. At the same time, of course, there is a minimum that every believer is advised to have.

When choosing images, you need to understand why they are needed - for prayer. They are not a decoration of the house or anything like that, because for an Orthodox, a house is also a temple, and prayer can be common, that is, in the temple, and in the cell, that is, at home. It is precisely in order to always have the opportunity to pray privately that home altars are created.

The previously noted minimum includes only two icons: Christ and the Virgin Mary. Although, if there is no such possibility, then even just one is enough, because each of these options represents the whole essence of the Orthodox faith.

In general, the altar may look something like this (although you can limit yourself to only the main icons):

Some choose additional set based on your own activities and preferences. For example, people who are associated with military professions or something similar prefer St. George the Victorious, and those who practice medicine revere Panteleimon the Healer.

As a rule, the space where the home iconostasis stands is called the red corner and represents the most revered part of the house. For an Orthodox Christian, a home is also a semblance of a temple, and the home iconostasis symbolizes the temple altar, where the most basic images for veneration must be placed. A small space is located on the eastern side of the house; a southeast location is also acceptable, since houses are not always oriented exactly to the cardinal points.

The next aspect is how to arrange and hang icons on the altar and in other parts of the home. If we are talking about a home iconostasis, then you need to consider the following:

1. You can put images on a special shelf or assign a separate part of the furniture for this purpose. But the space always needs to be somehow isolated: there is no need to place anything else there other than icons and other elements of religious worship.
2. The icons need to be located approximately at eye level or higher, so that when praying it is convenient to stand in front of the images and nothing else is located in the field of view.
3. The iconostasis must always be kept clean, each image must be preserved in its proper form.

The importance of caring should be emphasized. The icon is kept clean, wiped down in every possible way and revered not because of the value of the piece of wood (or other material) itself, on which some set of stains is visible different color. Careful treatment of the icon emphasizes the high value of the depicted and conveyed meaning, just like how a window is washed and kept in optimal conditions so that the landscape behind it can be seen.

Apart from the iconostasis, it is difficult to say where else the icons should be located in the house. The use of additional images is purely optional. The choice depends on the preferences and capabilities of the believer himself, but there are quite reasonably explainable limitations. Icons should not be hung:

• in the toilet and bathroom;
• in the kitchen directly above the stove or where the image may become smoky;
• above the TV, in the sideboard and where the environment is purely mundane and related to everyday activities, entertainment or the like.

The point is to show respect and be reasonable. Although the icon may be located in different parts at home, one should not mix the worldly and the heavenly. This attitude is quite reasonable for cultivating your own faith.

When it comes to how to properly hang icons in an apartment, many initially pay attention to the hallway. Indeed, there is a tradition of hanging opposite front door or protective images above it, but these images should not be considered precisely amulets. They are designed to, for example, make a short prayer before leaving home or once again remember the Lord:

To properly hang icons in the kitchen at home, you need to place them away from the stove and not stack them on top of each other. It would be quite correct to have the Last Supper, the Mother of God and the Savior in the kitchen. They can also hang in the bedroom: if the spouses live in harmony and in accordance with faith, there is nothing reprehensible in this.

In children's rooms it is customary to hang dimensional icons, Guardian Angels and named saints. Might be useful for a girl Everlasting color or Triflant (although this image is not considered canonical), as well as female saints. For boys - male saints and great martyrs, such as St. George the Victorious.

In the home of every Orthodox Christian there must be an icon of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Cross. This is the main icon for each of us.

It is also good to have an icon in your home iconostasis Holy Mother of God and saints revered in the family - the patrons of those who live in the house and those to whom they often pray. You should not have too many icons; in your home iconostasis it is better to have icons of those to whom you regularly pray.

There is no need to put photographs of loved ones - living or dead - in the iconostasis.

BOOK by Archpriest Sergius Nikolaev about HOME ICONOSTASIS

The material world that surrounds us, the world of objects - daily witnesses of our life - is not silent. A person’s home will tell about the owner, perhaps more than the owner himself. And if an Orthodox person on the street, on a bus, in a store does not stand out in any way outwardly, then his home still has its own characteristics. Therefore, it would not be superfluous to talk about the aesthetics of an Orthodox home.

The parish priest often visits the homes of his parishioners. He is called upon to bless the apartment, serve a prayer service at home, and is invited to perform the sacrament of consecration of oil (unction) to the sick person. During such visits, I always pay attention to what place is allocated to household icons, how they are kept, whether there are lamps or a candlestick in front of them. Is there a Gospel or spiritual books in the house?

It is a joy to encounter a beautifully decorated, kept clean, living holy corner with icons, a lamp lit in front of them, a clean veil under the images. How much love there is in such care! Yes, this is natural. The most precious thing for us is God. That is why images of the Savior, His Most Pure Mother, and saints of God are dear to us - holy icons.

But it’s a pity for the owner or mistress of a house where a warped paper image the size of half a palm, covered with dust, leans forlornly from a chest of drawers or sideboards, leaning against a random vase.

Sometimes, especially in those families where the Orthodox church tradition was somehow interrupted, believers and completely pious owners do not know how best to arrange new holy icons, lamps, and candlesticks for their home. After all, an icon is a shrine, but it is also a product that has its own shape, appearance, and price. How to “fit” it into the current familiar environment?

Where to hang an icon in an apartment?

Previously, all the decoration of a peasant's upper room came from the red, or holy corner with icons. Even the name “upper room” itself probably comes from a mountain place (in Russian - heavenly, upper), that is, the place where part of the sky is located - holy icons. And today it is better to define something convenient for icons, a nice place in an empty corner or on a wall, even if this requires some rearranging.

During prayer or on holidays, a lamp or candle is lit in front of the icons. The flame of a burning lamp, rushing upward, is a symbol of our prayer, our burning towards God. You can see that the lamp is safer in everyday life. But still, for special occasions or special occasions, it is good to have a candlestick and candles in the house. Lamps come in several types: hanging and standing. The owner of the house, based on aesthetics and convenience, can choose one or the other.

It is customary to place the icon not directly on the shelf, but on a small beautiful napkin, or, as it is called, a shroud. It can be decorated with embroidery, lace, frill. Here the imagination, taste and skill of the housewife can fully express themselves.

If there is no free corner or convenient part of the wall and at the same time it is a pity to disturb the existing interior, then the icons can be placed on a bookshelf, chest of drawers, low sideboard, piano. Temporarily, of course. In this case, you should pay attention to what books are on the shelf, whether they are completely combined with the shrine standing above them. Maybe it would be better to remove them or at least cover them with something. Look to see if there are porcelain dogs, gift cups or other household decorations that are not very necessary here next to the icons. The TV also looks ridiculous under the icons. And one more condition: nothing is placed above the icons. Clocks, paintings, photographs and other decorative elements should take place somewhat to the side. So once upon a time it was not allowed to build a building higher than a temple in close proximity to it.

The presence of a shrine in a house obliges the owners to take care not only of the external splendor of the interior, but also of the internal contents, that is, it moves them towards piety. Be sure to check whether everything in your house is in accordance with the shrine and whether there are any contradictions.

IN " Ancient Patericon“You can read the incident that happened to one hermit. Once during prayer the monk saw Holy Virgin standing on the threshold of his cell. She seemed to be about to enter, but then she moved away and disappeared. The vision was repeated, and the saddened hermit turned to the Mother of God: “Mistress, why don’t you want to enter my home?” To which the Mother of God answered: “How can I enter where my enemy is.” The hermit pondered for a long time over the words of the Most Pure Virgin and remembered that in his cell, among the books, there was a book with the works of a certain heretic, which the monk forgot to give to the owner. Immediately the hermit took the book out of the cell.

If the family is friendly, then such “enemies” after discussion at family council can also be taken out of the house. And almost everyone has them. In this regard, I remember two cases. Last year they invited me to serve a prayer service in one house, where, according to the owners, it was “not good.” Despite the fact that the house was consecrated, some kind of oppression was felt in it. Walking around the rooms with holy water, I noticed the room of the young men, the sons of the owner, where an artistically executed poster dedicated to a famous rock band hung on the wall. Moreover, it is known for its satanic orientation.

After the prayer service, over tea, I carefully, knowing about the fanatical devotion of some young people to their idols, tried to explain that “bad things” in the house could well come from even such posters, that such images seemed to be trying to resist the shrine. The young man stood up silently and removed the painting in question from the wall. The choice was made right there.

But in another house, the indecisiveness of the owners deprived them of a wonderful shrine. One person's piety old woman presented a beautiful icon - “The Appearance of the Mother of God, St. Sergius of Radonezh.” The icon was beautiful in itself, and besides, it was painted and presented to its owner by the famous Russian hierarch Orthodox Church, which gave her some peculiarity. New owner I found a place for the precious shrine on the wall in the living room, but, unfortunately, three engravings hung opposite. Old engravings in beautiful frames, three female portraits: Venus, Leda and Cleopatra. Relatives persuaded the owners to remove these three images of the world's harlots so that they would not hang in front of the Virgin Mary, but the reluctance to destroy the interior and the not entirely correctly perceived concept of culture did not allow them to make the right choice.

The next morning, early, as early as decency allows, the phone rang: the pious old woman begged for the icon to be returned to her and returned as soon as possible. “I didn’t sleep all night, it seemed to me that something had happened to my icon. I will give you another one, and bring this one to me, I will give it to you later,” she asked. Of course, the shrine returned to its former owner, and lovers of ancient engravings received another icon as a gift. It was placed in another room on a shelf among other icons, since it was more suitable there in size and design. I don’t know whether Lyubov Timofeevna chose a replacement by accident or on purpose. This was also an image of the Mother of God, it was called “Mammal.” Perhaps there was a hint here about the spiritual age of her friends? True, the lesson was not in vain; after a while, three landscapes took the place of dubious portraits.

Where to hang the icon?

Sometimes the question arises: there are several rooms in the house, where is it more appropriate to place icons? There is no special rule. But you pray more often in the room in which you sleep. In addition, prayer requires some solitude. “When you pray, go into your room and close your door and pray to your Father. Which is in secret…” (Matthew 6:6), we read in the Gospel. This means that it is wise to have icons in the bedroom in front of which you will read morning and evening prayers.

If you have a children's room, then there must be an icon in it. A child often turns to “God” in his own, childish way; it’s good if he can see the image. In addition, any holy icon is miraculous, and it will miraculously protect your child.

Remember that the whole family gathers in the common room, a common meal often takes place here, and the holy image should also be located here. Don't forget about the kitchen. The hostess spends time in it most time. The kitchen is the place for everyday breakfasts and dinners. It is better to say a prayer before eating food, turning your gaze to the icon. So, let there be icons in every room and in the kitchen. “...I wish that in every place men would say prayers, lifting up clean hands without anger and doubt” (1 Tim. 2:8), says the Apostle. “Every place...”

What icons must be in the house?

There is one more question. What icons are best to have at home? There is also no rule here, but only a pious tradition. Most of our prayers are addressed to the Savior and the Mother of God. It is reasonable to have an image of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Most Pure Mother at home.

In a Russian Orthodox home, you will most often find a triptych: the Savior, the Virgin Mary and St. Nicholas. The veneration of St. Nicholas in Russia is so widespread that hardly any saint can compare in this sense with the Wonderworker of Myra. The reason for this is simple: as you know, people don’t go to a dry well for water. Saint Nicholas is loved and revered by us as a quick helper, intercessor and great wonderworker. Almost every family has experience of his miraculous help.

Pious people usually have the image of their heavenly patron, whose name they bear. Sometimes this or that saint of God turns out to be somewhat close to us. We find in his life some character trait that is close to us or that we love, we are admired by some deed or miracle created through “his prayer. There is a desire to have an image of this saint at home. Of course, prayer in front of him will be especially heartfelt. Our patriotic dispensation, love for the Fatherland can express itself in special veneration and warm prayer before the images St. Sergius Radonezhsky, St. Seraphim Sarovsky, righteous John Kronstadt, noble princes Alexander Nevsky, Daniil of Moscow and Dmitry Donskoy. Love for Russia is inseparable from love for the miraculous icons of the Diligent Intercessor, the Mother of God, through which so many miracles have occurred on our land. These are the icons of Vladimir, Kazan, Tikhvin, Derzhavnaya and many others.

The Feasts of the Lord and the Mother of God are also depicted on icons. You can have at home an icon of the Presentation, Annunciation, Baptism, and the Protection of the Mother of God.

Take a closer look at the “Nativity of Christ” icon. What a quiet, peaceful, family-like image. God the Child and the Mother and Betrothed, looking at the Little One in quiet tenderness; shepherds worshiping the Savior with the fear and joy of a simple and faithful heart; wise men-magi who brought gifts-symbols, a sign that earthly wisdom is just a part of heavenly wisdom. Peaceful night, and above everything is the Star of Bethlehem. How many thoughts and prayers will be born next to this icon.

And look at the image “The Entry of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the Temple.” The parents brought their only, long-awaited, beloved child to the temple in order to leave him there. The girl is only three years old. How sweet the little ones are at this time, how pure and innocent! How the mere sight of them caresses a parent’s heart! But where is the best place to preserve and strengthen this purity? In the temple. Joachim and Anna gave Mary to be raised in the temple. Look, parents, your child must honor the Law of God, and your child must be in church. Looking at this image of parental feat and hope in God, pray for your children and think about your responsibilities.

We will find how much we need for our soul by looking at the icon “The Presentation of the Lord.” Meeting, in Slavic, meeting, that is, the meeting of the Savior and Elder Simeon. What wonderful words were spoken by the God-Receiver Simeon, receiving the Infant Jesus in his arms: “Now, Master, you are letting Your servant go in peace, according to Your word” (Luke 2:29). Because it was revealed to the righteous old man that he would not die until he saw Christ the Savior. And when we meet the Lord, whether in prayer, in His temple, in reading Holy Scripture, at the relics of His holy saints, we also part with earthly things, temporarily dying to the worries and sorrows of this life. “Now You are releasing Your servant, O Master...”

Why don't you have the image of the Life-Giving Trinity: three Angels sitting at a meal - a symbol of endless love and unity.

What a consolation for Orthodox man to see the omophorion of the Mother of God stretched out over the world on the icon of the feast of the Intercession of the Mother of God. Do not despair, man, and over you is the protection of the Diligent Intercessor.

Nowadays you can buy different icons. Any consecrated image is a shrine. And a paper lithograph, and a reproduction of an icon painter, and an old family image, and a rarity purchased in an antique store - all this is an icon. Of course, it’s nice to have a highly artistic image painted by a competent specialist isographer; today you can buy these in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, St. Daniel’s Monastery in Moscow, where they have their own art workshops. It's great if there are old houses family icons. But modern reproduction should not be neglected. In Crimea, in Livadia, in the imperial palace in the office of Emperor Nicholas II, a very religious and pious man, the walls are literally filled with icons. Antique, precious icons, and next to them simple “village” letters, and here and there lithographs and photographs. And all these shrines - both dear and modest - met the prayerful gaze of the holy man who stood with a tender heart in front of them. It seems that the point here is not only about what icon is in front of us, but also about ourselves. I had to see indifferent empty faces both in front of the icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir, and in front of the Trinity of Andrei Rublev’s letters. “The Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21), said the Savior.

I would like to wish you that holy icons will often appear before your eyes, moving you to prayer and contemplation of God, lifting you above the vanity of the world, calming passions and healing illnesses. Amen.

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Icons in our house. About prayer. About alms. - M.: Danilovsky blagovestnik, 1997.- 48 p. - (Series “For advice from the priest”).

In the old days, any person entering a house first stood facing the red corner, where the home iconostasis was located, and was baptized at the icons, because icons were an integral part of everyday life for every Orthodox Christian. They always prayed before them when getting up in the morning and going to bed. Note: before them, and not the icons themselves, because they only show us the image of the saint depicted on them.

Icons for the home and their meaning

Some believe that icons that should be in every home , play the role of a kind of amulets or talismans, but this is a completely wrong approach.

It is not the icon that protects, but our prayer to the saint depicted on it

This is the meaning of icons. You can place as many icons around the house as you like, but if you don’t pray in front of them, they will remain just beautiful pictures.

Icons must be consecrated in the church, so it is best to purchase them in a church shop

If you accidentally come across an icon that you would like to place in your home, but whose history is unknown to you, do not be lazy to go to church and consecrate it, then prayer in front of it will have power.

What icons should be in the house?

In the home of every Orthodox Christian there must be icons of the Savior and the Mother of God - this is the basis of the home iconostasis

Often newlyweds receive such a double image as a wedding gift from their parents, who blessed them with these icons.

Each of us has a heavenly patron whose name we bear, and it is very desirable that they also take their place in the home iconostasis. Prayer in front of their images helps both in strengthening faith and in difficult life situations. There are many icons of revered saints who bore the same name, so before choosing an icon, try to find out the history of this saint.

Among the icons that should be in the house, it is worth including the icon of St. Panteleimon the Healer, to whom they pray in case of illness, and for medical workers he is considered the patron saint of their profession. In general, every profession has its own heavenly patron, and for Russian military personnel there is even a separate one for each branch of the military.

The feats of faith performed by the saints are an integral part Orthodox teaching, and if there is a saint whose story made a particularly strong impression on you, then his icon can also be placed in your home iconostasis.

How to properly place icons in the house

The value of an icon is not determined by its market value, so you should not strive to acquire rare or expensive icons in precious frames. Such an icon can be given as a gift, but you should not buy it for yourself. And one more thing: by turning your home iconostasis into something like the icon-painting department of a museum, you risk attracting thieves who are after expensive icons.

The best option for placing icons is a home iconostasis

In the old days, it occupied the eastern corner of the room, which was called red. Modern layout does not always allow for traditions to be observed, but this is, in fact, the formal side of the matter, so the iconostasis can be arranged not necessarily in the corner, but anywhere near the wall and even on a sideboard shelf or a bookcase. But at the same time, you must make sure that there are no photographs, posters, paintings or other secular decorative elements nearby. Also, photographs of living or dead people, be they relatives, priests or elders, should not be placed in the iconostasis.

It is important to know not only what icons should be in the house, but also how to properly arrange the iconostasis. It is probably unnecessary to remind you that it needs to be kept clean and the icons not allowed to gather dust. If icons are placed on shelves, then beautiful napkins or towels are usually placed under them, which will be especially valuable if you embroider them yourself.

Many people decorate the iconostasis with bouquets of fresh or artificial flowers. This is where they store church candles. Holy water should be drunk on an empty stomach after prayer, so a vessel with holy water can also be kept near the iconostasis. It is very important that there is a lamp in the home iconostasis, which is lit when praying, as well as in Sundays and on the occasion of major Orthodox holidays.

In the old days, every living space had to have an iconostasis with the faces of saints. The icons helped protect the house from various disasters, they were prayed to in difficult times and thanked for the well-being and health of family members. But over time, people lose knowledge of what icons must be in the house, what helps this or that face of the saint, and where to place the home iconostasis.

Icons: what are they for?

Every Orthodox Christian acquires it not for beauty or fashionable trends, but in order to pray in silence to the saints about the most secret things. An icon is a chain that connects a person’s soul with the Lord God. By saying prayer speeches, we communicate with the Almighty, ask for intercession and thank you for the mercy shown.

The image of a saint is not only a relic that is passed down from generation to generation. This is the holy of holies, which brings together everyone living under one roof in a single prayer.

Each image, no matter what material it is made from, carries a special mysterious meaning. But in order for the icon to become a real intercessor of your family hearth, you should know where to put the icon, in what order to place them.

Home iconostasis (photo)

In addition to the fact that you just need to have these icons at home, you need to know the rules for their placement.

Previously, it was customary in homes to place icons on special wooden shelves, but now the church allows the faces of saints to be hung directly on the wall. The main thing is the location of the icons.

The image can be hung in any room. Hang the icon directly above the entrance to the room. And you will feel how an unknown force protects your home.

You should hang only 1 or 2 icons in the kitchen. After all, every Orthodox Christian says a prayer of thanks before sitting down at the table and after eating. Choose Christ the Savior, the Holy Trinity or the Mother of God.

If you want your prepared food to always be tasty, healthy, and also blessed by the saints, purchase the face of Euphrosynus of Palestine. For his good deeds, he alone was given the reward of seeing heaven and returning to earthly life. He took apples of paradise as a gift and distributed them to the monks, who gave them only to those who were dying.

Any Small child should be taught from birth to turn to the saints for help and thank them for their support. In addition, the icons will protect your baby from any accidents and illnesses.

To do this, the faces of saints, who are the protectors of children, as well as personalized icons are placed at the head of the bed. It is also worth considering purchasing measuring icon. This is an image that matches the length of your baby's height at birth.

You can also hang icons of the Savior, the Mother of God and the Guardian Angel. In the nursery, it is customary to pray that your child does not get sick and grows up to be a worthy person.

Many are inclined to believe that icons are useless in the bedroom. You can hang images on the walls only if the spouses live in a married marriage. Then the faces of Saints Peter and Fevronia, Nicholas the Wonderworker, Panteleimon and personalized icons will protect your union.

If a person is lonely, then you can place icons of the Virgin Mary or the Savior.

This is where you can install a home iconostasis, which is assembled according to all the rules. If your room is a walk-through room, you have people who are non-believers, you can move the icons to the room in which you are most present.

When things don’t work out in business, the blues have overcome you and lazy languor has set in, you need to turn to the saints of the profession to which you belong with prayers.

With sincere prayer, the patron saints will always put in a good word for you before the Lord.

Now you know which icons must be in the house. But the main thing is not just to have them in your room, but to sincerely, sincerely and reverently indulge in prayerful speeches.

Natalya Kaptsova - practitioner of integral neuroprogramming, expert psychologist

Reading time: 6 minutes

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As every believer knows, an icon is not a beautiful picture or a tribute to fashion, but an Image of God, saints or the Mother of God. Icons are images without authorship through which we pray, but not decorative elements. Accordingly, the free use of icons is disrespect, both to Christian traditions, and to yourself.

What icons should be in your home, and how exactly should they be placed according to church canons?

What icons should you have at home for protection, well-being and family happiness?

First of all, you should remember that an icon is not a talisman for good luck, not a horseshoe over the door, or a bearskin with butterflies hung according to Feng Shui. That is, she is not a talisman in its direct sense. An icon is an image through which we turn to God. And only with sincere prayer does the Lord or the saint to whom the prayer is offered help us in family well-being and give us his protection.

What icons to put at home is up to you. As the priests say, one is enough for prayer. If your soul does not have enough images in the house, or you want to create your own home iconostasis, then you can seek advice from your confessor or simply from a minister in the church - they will tell you.

Usually the following icons are placed in houses (the list is not a list of icons that you should definitely buy and hang at home, but only the most revered images through which prayers are offered for well-being in the family):

• Two main images in the apartment - Savior (usually they choose the Lord Almighty) and, of course, mother of God (for example, Tenderness or Hodegetria). It is impossible to imagine the home of Orthodox Christians without these icons.
• Saint John the Baptist .

• Images of saints , whose names (by baptism) are borne by members of your family.
• Your local revered saints (when creating an iconostasis).
• Great Martyr George the Victorious .
• Nicholas the Wonderworker . The image of this saint, endowed with special grace (protection of travelers, protection from want and poverty), is most often placed by Orthodox Christians at home.
• Great Martyr Panteleimon (most often they turn to him for healing).
• Apostles Peter and Paul .
• Archangels Gabriel and Michael .
• Kazan Mother of God - intercessor of the Russian people, as well as an assistant in work and everyday needs.
• The Holy Trinity , symbolizing wisdom, intelligence and love. One of the key confessional icons in the house.
• Iveron Mother of God – intercessor of women and your guardian hearth and home. Before this image they pray for healing or consolation in troubles.
• Semistrelnaya . One of the most strong icons in protecting the home - from envy and anger, from the evil eye, etc. This icon brings harmony, reconciles those at war, and is often taken with them to important events.
• Healer . Protects from grief and troubles, helps during childbirth. Prayers are offered before her for the healing of soul and body.
• Inexhaustible Chalice . Healing from bad habits, drunkenness and drug addiction, prosperity in the home, help and comfort to everyone who asks in faith.
• Unexpected joy . Before this image, prayers are offered for the health of children, for the well-being of marriage, for healing.
• . Prayers are offered to this saint for healing.

• Blessed Matrona of Moscow . People turn to her with prayers for healing and family well-being.
• Peter and Fevronia . Saints known as patrons of marital fidelity. By the way, our “Valentine’s Day” is July 8, the day of remembrance of these saints.
• And other icons that will help you find peace in your soul and in your family.

For the kitchen, an icon of the Savior is most suitable, and for a baby’s room - a Guardian Angel or a Saint - the child’s patron.

Orthodox houses since the times Ancient Rus' were filled with icons. Unfortunately, today for many it is a tribute to fashion, but for an Orthodox and true believer Christian, an icon is a revered thing, and the corresponding appeal to it is not secular, but emanating from faith.

How to properly place holy images in the house?

• When choosing a side, they are guided by its special meaning in Orthodoxy - it is on the eastern wall of the room that images are always placed. In the absence of such an opportunity, the reference point is a place in which the person praying will not feel crowded.
• Strictly avoid the proximity of icons to secular objects - you should not place figurines and cosmetics, equipment and other objects of immediate, earthly, decorative value next to the images.
• Also, you should not hang/place next to non-iconographic images - panels and paintings (even with religious significance), calendars, secular books, posters, etc. And even lifetime images of saints (photographs) are not recommended - only canonical icons.
• Items that can be adjacent to the images are lamps and candles, Orthodox literature, incense, holy water, willow branches, which are usually stored until the next Palm Sunday. It is also traditional to decorate icons and the house itself with birch branches (on Pentecost).
• It is customary to place icons, and not hang them on nails, in specially designated places (red corner, iconostasis, just a special shelf or icon case). Images are not hung on the walls like paintings haphazardly - this does not create the necessary feeling of calm and contentment needed when praying.
• Let's not forget about hierarchy. 2 main icons - the Mother of God (placed to the left of the Savior) and the Savior (these icons are always “center”). You cannot place images of saints above these images, as well as above the Holy Trinity. They (the saints) are also located below the apostles.
• A variety of writing styles is also not recommended. Select icons in a uniform manner of execution. Remember that icons are placed in the house after they have been consecrated or those already purchased in the church are consecrated.
• The main corner (red) is the farthest corner in the room (usually the right one), located diagonally from the door with a reference point to the rising sun.

• Don't overdo it with icons. For the remaining rooms (if there is a red corner/iconostasis), one image is sufficient.
• In the nursery, the image of the saint is placed in such a way that it can be seen by the baby from the crib.
• You should absolutely not put the icon on your TV - it’s simply blasphemous.
• If you have icons in the room, you should remove all obscene posters, posters, reproductions, paintings, calendars and from other walls. Such proximity is unacceptable and inappropriate. Praying to the Savior, in front of whom there is a poster, for example, of a rock band or a painting with nudity, is simply pointless.
• In the bedroom, the image is placed at the head of your bed. There is a myth that icons are not placed in the bedroom so that “God does not see the closeness of the spouses.” It is worth noting that intimacy in marriage is not a sin, and it is impossible to hide from God, even if you hide all the icons in the nightstand.
• The corner in which the images stand should be the most illuminated, and the images themselves should be placed above eye level. There should be no barriers between the icon and the view (as well as barriers in the form of tables or chests of drawers between you).

But the most important thing, of course, is to remember that...

The number of icons and the beauty of the iconostasis will not make the life of an Orthodox Christian more pious - sincere prayers in front of these images make it so.
An icon is not a pagan amulet or a “repository of grace” that can be approached and scooped up if necessary, but an image through which prayer is sent to the Lord and Grace to those who believe in it.

How to properly position a home iconostasis

As stated above, the number of icons does not matter, and you should not place images haphazardly (cover holes in wallpaper, for example). Icons should have their own bright and important place.

Thoughtless, empty collecting will give your iconostasis absolutely nothing. A few icons and a prayer from the heart are always stronger than a rich iconostasis with expensive icons in gold frames “for show”.

• The iconostasis is created in the likeness of a church one. Definitely with a hierarchical arrangement of images: in the center - the Savior with Mother of God(The Savior is to her right!), the Holy Trinity may be located in the same row (or above all the images). If there is no Trinity, a crucifix is ​​placed at the top of the iconostasis. All other images are subject to these key icons: to the right of the Savior is the image of John the Baptist. This triptych is the Deesis (approx. prayer, basis). Next come the saints, saints and other icons (for example, local saints or personal ones), which are chosen by the Orthodox according to at will. Saints are not placed above the Deesis, the apostles, the Trinity.
• A lamp is placed on the shelf of the iconostasis, which is lit on the eve and on the holidays themselves, on Sundays or during prayer.
• Sometimes the images are decorated (as in the old days) with a deity. This is a narrow and long canvas towel with embroidery on the ends. Such idols covered the images from the sides and top, leaving only the faces.
• The icon case is most suitable for the iconostasis - the images are better preserved in it, and the red corner stands out.
• It doesn’t matter whether the icon was painted by hand by an artist who received a blessing, whether it was purchased as a reproduction image or carved from Orthodox calendar and glued to a solid base. The main thing is to consecrate the icon. Although, of course, a hand-painted image covered with linseed oil will always surpass a printed reproduction.
• The choice of image style is a matter of taste. It could be Byzantine or Old Russian style - it doesn’t matter. As long as it’s not secular (academic is also not welcome). Now it has become fashionable to paint icons as one pleases, without the proper blessing, with a lot of elements “from one’s own”, etc. Such icons have a place anywhere - just not in the iconostasis. You shouldn't mix styles either.

And finally: never confuse the prototype and the image itself. We offer prayer not to the icon, but to the prototype.