How to make an iconostasis at home. And reproductions of canonical icons, pasted on a solid base and consecrated in the church, will take their rightful place in the home iconostasis. Do you need icons in the house
Icons in the house must be placed in a place specially designed for this. There is a tradition to put icons on the shelf of the eastern wall, however, if this is not possible, then it is not necessary to arrange a home iconostasis on the eastern side. Sometimes icons are delivered in the so-called red corner. "Red" means "beautiful" - this is an indication that the place for the icons should be clean, neat and beautiful.
Holy images can be placed in all living rooms. There is a pious tradition in the bedroom to have wedding images. If the family is large, then icons in each living room are necessary for the private prayer of all family members.
Pious believers have holy images (or at least one small icon) in the kitchen. This is due to the practice of prayer before and after eating food.
Holy icons cannot be placed on a shelf with books that have non-Christian content. It is undesirable to put them on TV or together with secular paintings - a place for icons should be specially designed for this shrine.
Some believers put an icon above the entrance to the house. Often in this place you can see the image Holy Mother of God Hodegetria Guidebook, since it is useful for an Orthodox believer to pray for help in good undertakings before going out into the street. Sometimes a cross is placed above the entrance to the house.
How to arrange icons in the house
The principle of arranging icons on a home iconostasis is based on hierarchy, similar to the arrangement of iconostases in a church. If the icons are located on the wall, then in the center at the head of the iconostasis there should be an icon of the Holy Trinity or the Lord Jesus Christ. To the right of this image, you can place the icon of the Mother of God, and to the left of St. John the Baptist or a particularly revered saint, for example, Nicholas the Wonderworker. Below you can place other images - angels, saints, prophets, reverend, righteous. A crucifix can crown a home iconostasis.
It cannot be said that there are any specific instructions on the order of placing icons in the home iconostasis (except that the Lord central location).
If space permits, then under the main icons of the Lord and the Virgin, you can place the holy images of the twelfth Christian holidays. In the case when the home iconostasis includes several dozen icons, then under the central images one can also place shrines with the faces of the Savior or revered icons of the Virgin and saints.
How to arrange icons in the house?
There are icons in almost every home, with the exception of families of staunch atheists. Formerly people knew and followed the rules for placing holy images. Do we know how to arrange a home iconostasis, are church canons so strict today and what should be the red corner of your home?
Red corner in the old days
Our great-grandfathers treated icons with reverence and tried to equip the home iconostasis in accordance with all the rules. The goddess (kiot) with holy images was placed in every Orthodox house in the red corner, in the most honorable place.
Red means good, beautiful. The holy corner was arranged on the eastern side of the dwelling, on the brightest side of the house, since the windows were on both walls forming a corner.
For an Orthodox Christian, his house is a symbol of the temple. And if in the church the altar is the most holy place, then in the believer's dwelling it is the red corner where the home iconostasis is located, this is a symbolic analogue of the altar.
Home iconostasis today
Most of us are not too familiar with the requirements for arranging an iconostasis in the house. And the church today does not so strictly require the observance of certain canons, because times are changing and some rules are becoming increasingly difficult to comply with.
Not every house has the opportunity to place the iconostasis in the correct eastern corner. If the layout of housing does not allow - what to do?
It is permissible to place icons on any side of the dwelling. But the place should be remote so that you can pray calmly. When the family prays together, free space will be needed for all those who pray. It is convenient to put the books necessary for this on a portable folding lectern.
Try to place the home iconostasis away from the TV, computer, etc. household appliances. The neighborhood of holy images with technical devices is inappropriate.
You can make an iconostasis with your own hands or buy it, even an ordinary bookshelf will do.
How to properly arrange an iconostasis at home and what icons to choose for it.
The house of an Orthodox believer is a kind of small Church, in this place a prayer song must necessarily sound. Praises and petitions are made in front of the images of icons, because they are a means of communication between a person and the Almighty Lord or His faithful and eternal servants. However, Orthodox believers must remember: the appeal refers to the individual, and not to the canvas on which she is depicted.
The device of the iconostasis in the house
The arrangement of icons in the home iconostasis can be arbitrary, but in Christian tradition there are some rules.
In the past, a shelf was built in each family, where holy images were exhibited. These divine canvases were in the brightest and most eye-catching place. The shelf for icons was installed in the far corner of the house, in the East. This place was the most illuminated, since the two walls that formed it were with windows into which a lot of sunlight passed.
home iconostasis
The icon is a sacred image, which is separated from everyday realities and never mixed with everyday life, but is intended solely for dialogue with the Lord. It is a window from the infinite world to sinful areas, as well as to divine revelations in the tones and lines of the icon painter's brush.
It is naive to assume that a large number of holy images makes the life of an Orthodox believer more pious than it really is.
An unsystematized collection of icons, various reproductions, church calendars is similar to ordinary collecting, where prayer completely disappears as an end in itself. Here there is a complete distortion of the term "house", which is a continuation of the monastery.
Modern location of the iconostasis
For the family, this relic is a unifying prayer factor that arises after the forgiveness of all worldly insults and the achievement of mutual understanding.
Today's realities of life say that the church allows you to arrange a home iconostasis in a free place. However, orthodox rules recommend placing it on the east side. The concept of "east" has important feature for Orthodoxy. It is written about him in the Book of Genesis, in Bartholomew and Matthew.
Attention! A contractual price is valid for the manufacture of home iconostases.With the blessing of Bishop Konstantin of Tikhvin
Alekseev Sergey Vladimirovich
In his house to every Christian ... holy and honest images written on icons essentially put on the walls, arranging a magnificent place with every decoration and with lamps, in them the candles before the saints are burned on every praise of God ... And touch the holy image worthy in pure conscience ... And the images are delivered to the saints even at the beginning according to the rank, sacredly honor the essence of the name of the predestined. In prayers and in vigils, and in bows and in every glorification of God, always honor them ...
Monk Spiridon (Sylvester)
DOMOSTROY
16th century
The icon painter, completing the icon, inscribes
the name of the One whose Face is revealed on the icon board.
There is a combination of words and images,
name and image - an Icon is born.
Quantity and quality are different categories. It is naive to believe that the more Sacred images in the house of an Orthodox Christian, the more pious his life. An unsystematized collection of icons, reproductions, wall church calendars that occupies a significant part of the living space can often have a completely opposite effect on a person’s spiritual life.
Firstly, thoughtless collecting can turn into empty collecting, where there is no question of the prayer purpose of the icon.
Secondly (and this is the main thing), in this case there is a distortion of the concept of a house as a dwelling, as the material basis of an Orthodox family.
“My house will be called the house of prayer” () - this is about the temple, which was created for prayer and the performance of the Sacraments.
The house is a continuation of the temple, no more; home is first and foremost a family hearth; a prayer sounds in the house, but the prayer is private; there is a Church in the house, but the Church is small, domestic, family. The principle of hierarchy (that is, the subordination of the lower to the higher), reflecting heavenly harmony and order, is also present in earthly life. Therefore, it is unacceptable to mix ontologically different concepts temple and home.
However, the icons in the house must be mandatory. In sufficient quantities, but within reasonable limits.
In the past, in every Orthodox family, both peasant and urban, in the most prominent place of the dwelling, there was always a shelf with icons, or a whole home iconostasis. The place where the icons were placed was called rake angle, red corner, holy corner, goddess, kiot or kivot.
For an Orthodox Christian, an icon is not only an image of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, saints and events from Sacred and Church history. An icon is a sacred image, that is, separated from the realities of everyday life, not mixing with everyday life and intended only for communion with God. Therefore, the main purpose of the icon is prayer. The icon is a window from the heavenly world to our world - the world of the valley; it is a revelation of God in lines and colors.
Thus, an icon is not just a family heirloom passed down from generation to generation, but a shrine; a shrine that unites all family members during joint prayer, for joint prayer is possible only when mutual insults are forgiven each other and complete unity of the people standing in front of the icon is achieved.
Of course, at the present time, when the place of the icon in the house was taken by the TV - a kind of window into the motley world of human passions, the traditions of joint prayer at home, and the meaning of the family icon, and the awareness of one's family as a small Church were largely lost.
Therefore, an Orthodox Christian living in a modern city apartment often has questions: what icons should be in the house? How to place them correctly? Is it possible to use reproductions from icons? What to do with old icons that have fallen into disrepair?
Some of these questions should only be answered unambiguously; answering others, you can do without any strict recommendations.
So, where to place the icons?
In a free and accessible place.
The conciseness of such an answer is caused not by the absence of canonical requirements, but by the realities of life.
Of course, it is desirable to place icons on the eastern wall of the room, because the east as a theological concept has a special meaning in Orthodoxy.
And the Lord God planted a paradise in Eden in the east, and placed there the man whom he created ().
Look, Jerusalem, to the east, and look at the joy that comes to you from God ().
And the spirit lifted me up and led me to the eastern gate of the house of the Lord, which faces east ().
... for as lightning comes from the east and is visible even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man ().
But what to do if the house is oriented so that windows or doors are in the east? In this case, you can use the southern, northern or western walls of the dwelling.
The main thing is that there should be enough in front of the icons free space and the worshipers would not feel cramped when praying together. And for books needed during prayer, it is convenient to use a folding portable lectern.
When choosing a place for a home iconostasis, it is necessary to avoid the close proximity of icons to a TV, tape recorder and other household appliances. Technical devices belong to our time, they are momentary, their purpose does not correspond to the purpose of sacred images and, if possible, they should not be connected together.
True, there may be exceptions. For example, in the editorial departments of Orthodox publishing houses, the neighborhood of an icon and a computer is quite acceptable. And if the author or employee works at home, then the icon placed near the computer serves as confirmation that this technique is used to spread the Good News, that this human-made tool serves as a conductor of God's will.
Icons should not be mixed with decorative items of a secular nature: figurines, panels made of various materials, etc.
It is inappropriate to place an icon on bookshelf next to books whose content or has nothing to do with Orthodox truths, or even contrary to the Christian preaching of love and mercy.
The neighborhood of icons with posters or wall calendars, on which photographs of the idols of the current century are printed - rock musicians, athletes or politicians. This not only reduces the importance of the veneration of sacred images to an unacceptable level, but also puts holy icons on a par with the idols of the modern world.
An example from the practice of priest Sergiy Nikolaev, author of the brochure Icons in Our House, shows how such an attitude to the shrine affects the spiritual state of the family:
“Last year, they invited me to serve a prayer service in a house where, according to the owners, it was “not good”. Despite the fact that the house was consecrated, there was some kind of oppression 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. And known for its satanic orientation.
After the prayer service, over tea, I cautiously, knowing about the fanatical devotion of some young people to their idols, tried to explain that “bad” in the house may well come from such posters that such images seem to be trying to resist the shrine. The young man silently stood up and removed the painting in question from the wall. The choice was made right there” (Priest Sergiy Nikolaev. Icons in our house. M. 1997, pp. 7-8).
… give the Lord the glory of His name. Take the gift, go before Him, worship the Lord in the magnificence of His holiness () - this is what the Holy Scripture says about the proper attitude to the shrine dedicated to the Lord.
Fresh flowers can decorate a home iconostasis, and large, separately hanging icons are often, according to tradition, framed with towels.
This tradition dates back to antiquity and has a theological justification.
According to Tradition, the lifetime image of the Savior arose in a miraculous way to help a suffering person: Christ, having washed his face, wiped himself with a clean handkerchief (brust), on which His Face was displayed, and sent this handkerchief to the leprous-stricken king of Asia Minor Avgar in the city of Edessa. The healed ruler and his subjects converted to Christianity, and the Image Not Made by Hands was nailed to a "rotting board" and placed over the city gates.
The day when the Church commemorates the transfer in 944 from Edessa to Constantinople of the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands (August 29, according to the new style), was popularly called the “canvas” or “linen Savior”, and in some places homespun canvases and towels were consecrated on this holiday.
These towels were decorated with rich embroidery and were intended specifically for the goddess. Also, the icons were framed with towels, which the owners of the house used during prayers for the blessing of water and weddings. So, for example, after the blessing of water prayer, when the priest abundantly sprinkled the worshipers with holy water, people wiped their faces with special towels, which were then placed in a red corner.
After the celebration of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, willow branches consecrated in the church are placed near the icons, which, according to tradition, are kept until the next Palm Sunday.
On the Day of the Holy Trinity or Pentecost, it is customary to decorate dwellings and icons with birch branches, which symbolize the flourishing Church, bearing the grace-filled power of the Holy Spirit.
There should not be between the icons of paintings or reproductions of paintings.
A painting, even if it has a religious content, such as "The Appearance of Christ to the People" or the "Sistine Madonna" by Raphael, is not a canonical icon.
What is the difference between Orthodox icon and a picture?
The picture is an artistic image created by the creative imagination of the artist, which is a kind of form of transferring one's own worldview. The worldview, in turn, depends on objective reasons: a specific historical situation, political system dominating in society moral standards and life principles.
An icon, as we have already mentioned, is a revelation of God expressed in the language of lines and colors. Revelation, which is given both to the whole Church and to the individual. The worldview of the icon painter is the worldview of the Church. The icon is out of time, out of the prevailing tastes, it is a symbol of otherness in our world.
The picture is characterized by a pronounced individuality of the author, a peculiar pictorial manner, specific methods of composition, a characteristic color scheme.
The picture should be emotional, since art is a form of knowledge and reflection of the surrounding world through feelings; the picture belongs to the world of the soul.
The icon painter's brush is impassive: personal emotions should not have a place. In the liturgical life of the Church, the icon, like the manner of reading prayers by the psalmist, is devoid of external emotions. Empathy with spoken words and perception of iconographic symbols occur on a spiritual level.
The icon is a means of communication with God and His saints.
Sometimes among the icons in the red corner you can find photographs or reproductions of photographs of priests, elders, people of a righteous, God-pleasing life. Is this allowed? If you strictly follow the canonical requirements, then, of course, no. Do not confuse icon-painting images of saints and photographic portraits.
The icon announces to us about the saint in his glorified, transfigured state, while the photograph, even if a person later glorified as a saint, shows a specific moment of his earthly life, a separate step of ascent to the mountain heights of the spirit.
Of course, such photographs are needed in the house, but they should be placed away from the icons.
Previously, along with prayer icons - sacred images, in houses, especially peasants, there were also pious images: lithographs of temples, views of the Holy Land, as well as popular prints, which in a naive, but bright, figurative form, narrated about serious subjects.
At present, various church wall calendars with reproductions of icons have appeared. They should be treated as a form of printed matter convenient for an Orthodox Christian, since such calendars contain the necessary instructions regarding holidays and fasting days.
But the reproduction itself at the end of the year can be glued onto a solid base, consecrated in the church according to the order of blessing the icon and placed in the home iconostasis.
What icons to have at home?
Be sure to have the icon of the Savior and the icon of the Mother of God.
The images of the Lord Jesus Christ as evidence of the Incarnation and the Salvation of the human race and the Mother of God as the most perfect of earthly people, who was honored with complete deification and revered as the most honest Cherubim and the most glorious Seraphim without comparison (A hymn of praise to the Most Holy Theotokos) are necessary for the house where Orthodox Christians live.
From the images of the Savior, for home prayer, they usually choose a half-length image of the Lord Almighty.
A characteristic feature of this iconographic type is the image of the blessing hand of the Lord and an open or closed book.
The theological significance of this image is that the Lord appears here as the Provider of the world, as the Arbiter of the destinies of this world, the Giver of truth, to whom the eyes of people are directed with faith and hope. Therefore, the images of the Lord Almighty or, in Greek, Pantokrator are always given a significant place in the painting of the temple, and on portable icons, and, of course, in the house.
From the iconography of the Mother of God, icons of the type "Tenderness" and "Hodegetria" are most often chosen.
Iconographic type "Tenderness" or, in Greek, Eleusa, ascends, according to legend, to the holy apostle and evangelist Luke. It is he who is considered the author of the images, lists of which subsequently spread throughout the Orthodox world.
A characteristic feature of this iconography is the contact of the faces of the Savior and the Mother of God, which symbolizes the unity of the heavenly and the earthly, the special relationship between the Creator and His creation, expressed by such infinite love of the Creator for people that He gives His Son to be sacrificed for the atonement of human sins. Of the icons of the "Tenderness" type, the most common are:
- Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God
- Don Icon of the Mother of God
- icon "Jumping baby",
- icon "Recovery of the dead",
- icon "It is worthy to eat",
- Igor Icon of the Mother of God
- Kasperovskaya Icon of the Mother of God,
- Korsun Icon of the Mother of God
- Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God
- Tolga Icon of the Mother of God
- Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God
- Yaroslavl Icon of the Mother of God.
"Hodegetria" in Greek means "guide". The true path is the path to Christ. On icons of the Hodegetria type, this is evidenced by a gesture right hand Mother of God, which points us to the Divine Infant Christ. Among miraculous icons of this type, the most famous are:
- Blachernae Icon of the Mother of God
- Georgian icon of the Mother of God,
- Iberian Icon of the Mother of God
- icon "Three-handed",
- icon "Quick to Hearing",
- Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
- Kozelshchinsky Icon of the Mother of God,
- Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God
- Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God
- The Czestochowa Icon of the Mother of God.
Of course, if the holidays for the family are the days of honoring any icons of the Savior or the Mother of God, for example, the Image Not Made by Hands of the Lord Jesus Christ or the Icon of the Mother of God "The Sign", then it is good to have these icons in the house, as well as images of saints whose names worn by family members.
For those who have the opportunity to accommodate in the house large quantity icons, you can supplement your iconostasis with images of revered local saints and, of course, the great saints of the Russian land.
In the traditions of Russian Orthodoxy, a special reverence for St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, whose icons are found in almost every Orthodox family, has become stronger. It should be noted that, along with the icons of the Savior and the Mother of God, the image of Nicholas the Wonderworker has always occupied a central place in the home of an Orthodox Christian. Among the people, St. Nicholas is revered as a saint endowed with special grace. This is largely due to the fact that, according to the church charter, every Thursday of the week, along with the holy apostles, the church offers prayers to St. Nicholas, Archbishop of the World of Lycia, the miracle worker.
Among the images of the holy prophets of God, Elijah can be distinguished, among the apostles - the supreme leaders Peter and Paul.
Of the images of martyrs for the faith of Christ, the icons of the holy great martyr George the Victorious, as well as the holy great martyr and healer Panteleimon, are most often found.
For the completeness and completeness of the home iconostasis, it is desirable to have images of the holy Evangelists, St. John the Baptist, the archangels Gabriel and Michael, and icons of holidays.
The choice of icons for the home is always individual. And the best assistant here is the priest - the confessor of the family, and it is to him, or any other priest, that you should turn for advice.
Regarding reproductions of icons and color photographs from them, it can be said that sometimes it is more reasonable to have a good reproduction than an icon painted, but of poor quality.
The attitude of an icon painter to his work must be extremely demanding. Just as a priest does not have the right to celebrate the liturgy without proper preparation, so the icon painter must approach his service with full responsibility. Unfortunately, both in the past and now, one can often find vulgar crafts that have nothing to do with the icon. Therefore, if the image does not evoke a feeling of inner reverence and a sense of contact with the shrine, if it is doubtful in terms of theological content and unprofessional in terms of execution technique, then it is better to refrain from such an acquisition.
And reproductions of canonical icons pasted on a solid base and consecrated in the church will take their rightful place in the home iconostasis.
Often occurs purely practical question:
How to stick a paper reproduction without damaging it?
Some useful tips can be given here.
If the reproduction was made on thick paper or cardboard, then to stick it on a solid base - a board or plywood - it is advisable to use glue that does not contain water and, accordingly, does not deform the paper, for example, Moment glue. If the reproduction is on thin paper, then PVA glue can be used, but in this case, the paper should be moistened with water, wait until the water is absorbed and the paper loses its elasticity, and only then apply the glue.
You need to press the reproduction to the base through Blank sheet paper so as not to stain the image.
After gluing, the reproduction can be covered with a thin layer of drying oil or varnish, but this should be done with caution, as some varnishes destroy printing inks. It should be noted that printing inks tend to fade under the active influence of direct sun rays, therefore, an icon made by your hands and consecrated in the Church must be protected from their influence.
How to place the icons, in what order?
Are there strict statutory requirements for this?
In church, yes. For a home deity, one can limit oneself to only some basic rules.
For example, if the icons are hung haphazardly, asymmetrically, without a thoughtful composition, then this causes a constant feeling of dissatisfaction with their placement, a desire to change everything, which very often distracts from prayer.
It is also necessary to remember the principle of hierarchy: do not place, for example, the icon of a locally venerated saint over the icon of the Holy Trinity, the Savior, the Mother of God, the apostles.
The icon of the Savior should be to the right of the one who is coming, and the Mother of God to the left (as in the classical iconostasis).
When choosing icons, make sure that they are uniform in artistic manner, try not to allow a variety of styles.
What to do if the family has a particularly revered, inherited icon, but it is not written quite canonically or has some loss of paint layer?
If the flaws in the image do not have serious distortions of the image of the Lord, the Mother of God or a saint, such an icon can be made the center of a home iconostasis or, if space permits, placed on a lectern under the goddess, because such an image is a shrine for all family members.
One of the indicators of the level spiritual development The Orthodox Christian is served by his attitude towards the shrine.
What should be the attitude towards the shrine?
Holiness as one of the properties of God (Holy, Holy, Holy Lord Sabaoth! () is reflected both in the saints of God and in physical objects. Therefore, the veneration of holy people, sacred objects and images, as well as one’s own desire for genuine communion with God and transfiguration are phenomena of the same order .
Be holy before Me, for I am holy Lord ... ()
By the way family members relate to the icon, before which their great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers offered prayers to the Lord, one can judge both the degree of churching of people and their piety.
The veneration of the family icon has always been special. After baptism, the baby was brought to the icon and the priest, or the owner of the house, read prayers. With the icon, parents blessed their children for study, for a long trip, for public service. Giving consent to the wedding, the parents also blessed the newlyweds with an icon. And the departure of a person from life took place under the images.
The well-known expression “dispersed, even endure the saints” is evidence of a conscientious attitude towards icons. Before the images of saints, quarrels, misbehavior or domestic scandals are unacceptable.
But the careful and reverent attitude towards the icon of an Orthodox Christian should not develop into unacceptable forms of worship. It is necessary to cultivate the correct veneration of sacred images from an early age. It is always necessary to remember that an icon is an image, sacred, but still only an image. And one should not confuse such concepts as the image - the image itself, and the prototype - the one who is depicted.
What can a distorted, non-Orthodox view of the veneration of holy icons lead to?
To the distortion of the spiritual life, as an individual, and to discord within the Church. An example of this is the heresy of the iconoclasts, which arose in the 7th century.
The reasons for the emergence of this heresy were serious theological disputes about the possibility and validity of the image of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity - God the Word in the flesh. Also, the reason was the political interests of some Byzantine emperors, who were striving for an alliance with strong Arab states, and who were trying to abolish icon veneration in favor of Muslims - opponents of holy icons.
But not only that. One of the reasons for the spread of heresy was the extremely ugly, bordering on idolatry, forms of veneration of sacred images that existed in the church life of that time. Not feeling the difference between the image and the prototype, believers often venerated not the face depicted on the icon, but the object itself - the board and paints, which was a profanity of icon veneration and merges with the lowest types of paganism. Undoubtedly, this served as a temptation for many Christians and led to disastrous consequences for their spiritual life.
That is why there arose among the intellectual elite of that time a tendency to abandon such forms of veneration of sacred images. Opponents of such icon veneration preferred to completely abandon it in order to preserve the purity of Orthodoxy and “protect”, in their opinion, the ignorant part of Christians from the destruction of paganism.
Of course, such views of the opponents of distorted icon veneration were fraught with a serious danger: the very truth of the Incarnation was called into question, since the very existence of the icon is based on the reality of the incarnation of God the Word.
The fathers of the VII Ecumenical Council, who condemned the heresy of the iconoclasts, taught: “... and honor them (icons) with kisses and reverent worship, not true, according to our faith, worship of God, which is befitting of the one Divine nature, but veneration according to that image, as if the image of the Honest and Life-Giving The cross and the holy Gospel and other shrines, incense and the setting of candles are honored, which was a pious custom among the ancients. For the honor given to the image passes to the archetypal, and the one who worships the icon bows to the essence depicted on it. Thus, the teaching of our holy fathers is affirmed, to sit, the tradition of the catholic church, from end to end of the earth that received the Gospel ”(Book of Rules of the Holy Apostles, Holy Ecumenical and Local Councils, and Holy Fathers. M., 1893, p. 5-6).
It is desirable to crown the home iconostasis with a cross; crosses are also placed on the doorposts.
The cross is a sacred thing for an Orthodox Christian. This is a symbol of the salvation of all mankind from eternal death. The 73rd Canon of the Trullo Cathedral, held in 691, testifies to the importance of venerating the images of the holy cross: “Since the life-giving cross has shown us salvation, then every care must be taken to pay due respect to that by which we are saved from the ancient fall ... "(Quoted by: Zandler E. Genesis and the Theology of the Icon. Magazine "Symbol", No. 18, Paris, 1987, p. 27).
During prayer in front of the icons, it is good to light the lamp, and on holidays and Sundays, let it burn during the day.
In multi-room city apartments, the iconostasis for the general family prayer they are placed, as a rule, in the largest of the rooms, while in others it is necessary to place at least one icon.
If an Orthodox family has a meal in the kitchen, then an icon is needed there for prayer before and after the meal. It is most reasonable to place an icon of the Savior in the kitchen, since the thanksgiving prayer after the meal is addressed to Him: “We thank You, Christ, our God…”.
And the last.
What to do if the icon has become unusable and cannot be restored?
Such an icon, even if it is not consecrated, should in no case be simply thrown away: a shrine, even if it has lost its original appearance, must always be treated with reverence.
Previously, with dilapidated icons, they acted as follows: until a certain state old icon they kept it in a shrine behind other icons, and if the colors from the icon were completely erased from time to time, then they let it go down the river.
In our time, of course, this is not worth doing; the dilapidated icon must be taken to the church, where it will be burned in the church oven. If this is not possible, then you should burn the icon yourself, and bury the ashes in a place that will not be desecrated: for example, in a cemetery or under a tree in a garden.
It must be remembered: if the damage to the icon occurred due to its careless storage, this is a sin that needs to be confessed.
The faces looking at us from the icons belong to eternity; looking at them, offering them a prayer, asking for their intercession, we - the inhabitants of the earthly world - must always remember our Creator and Savior; about His eternal call to repentance, to self-improvement and deification of every human soul.
Through the eyes of His saints, the Lord looks at us from the icons, testifying that everything is possible for a person who walks in His ways.
Application
Scheme of the high iconostasis
1 - Royal Doors (a - "Annunciation", b, c, d, e - evangelists);
2 - " The Last Supper»; 3 - icon of the Savior; 4 - icon of the Mother of God;
5 - northern gates; 6 - South gate; 7 - icon of the local row;
8 - temple icon;
I - ancestral row; II - prophetic series; III - festive row;
IV - deesis rank.
Iconostasis
If the altar is a part of the temple, where the greatest Sacrament of the transubstantiation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is performed, compared with the heavenly world, then the iconostasis, whose faces look at the worshipers, is a figurative expression of this world in lines and colors. The high iconostasis, which the Byzantine church did not know, finally formed in the Russian church to XVI century, served not so much as a visible display of the main events of the entire Sacred History, as it embodied the idea of the unity of two worlds - heavenly and earthly, expressed the aspiration of man to God, and God to man.
The classic Russian high iconostasis consists of five tiers or rows, or, in other words, ranks.
The first one is ancestral, located under the cross, at the very top. This is an image of the Old Testament Church, which has not yet received the Law. The forefathers from Adam to Moses are depicted here. In the center of this row, the Old Testament Trinity icon is a symbol of the eternal council of the Holy Trinity about the self-sacrifice of God the Word to atone for the fall of man. The icon “Hospitality of Abraham” (or “Appearance to Abraham at the Oak of Mamre”), which is also placed in the center of the ancestral row, has a different theological meaning - this is a contract concluded by God with man.
The second row is prophetic. This is the Church, which has already received the Law and proclaims through the prophets the Mother of God, from whom Christ will be incarnate. That is why in the center of this row is the icon "The Sign", depicting Mother of God with hands raised in prayer and with the Divine Infant in the bosom.
The third - festive - row tells about the events of the time of the New Testament: from the Nativity of the Virgin to the Exaltation of the Cross.
The fourth, deesis (or in other words, deesis) order is the prayer of the whole Church to Christ; a prayer that is happening now and will end on the Last Judgment. In the center is the icon "The Savior in Strength", representing Christ as a formidable judge of the entire universe; left and right - images of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. John the Baptist, archangels, apostles and saints.
In the next, local row, there are icons of the Savior and the Mother of God (on the sides of the Royal Doors), then on the North and South Gates - images of archangels or holy deacons. The temple icon - the icon of the holiday or saint in whose honor the temple is consecrated, is always located to the right of the icon of the Savior (for those facing the altar), immediately behind the South Gate. Above the Royal Doors, the icon of the Last Supper is placed as a symbol of the sacrament of the Eucharist, and on the gates themselves - the Annunciation and images of the holy evangelists. Sometimes icons and creators of the Divine Liturgy are depicted on the Royal Doors.
SATI
Saint Petersburg
2000
Is it possible to make shelves for icons yourself? What materials are better to choose? Let's try to figure this out together. Slavic Orthodox traditions allow the use of icons for the design of living space. Such a tradition testifies to the desire of people for religion, respect for church rituals and traditions.
As a home iconostasis for placing icons, you can consider a corner shelf for icons, as well as various church items. The canons of Orthodoxy suggest the installation of the main icons in the corner or on the eastern wall of the room.
Attention! In addition to Orthodox items, shelves for icons should not be loaded with other items.
Let's try to figure out how to make corner shelves for icons.
Creating shelves for icons
For work related to the creation of shelves for icons, you need special tools for woodworking: a drill, lathe, cutter, jigsaw.
From the materials that are needed to make shelves for icons, you need boards from any wood, pieces of slabs, wax or varnish, silver and black paints, wood glue. Of the component materials and hardware, carved laths, a metal or wooden crucifix are needed. Screws, original plugs are suitable as fasteners. To fix the product on the wall, you need loops and dowels.
Some of the carved elements can be made by hand. For example, to engage in the manufacture of carved elements, original parts of the shelf. The crucifix, which is the center for the icons, is only carved.
Advice! Such details for placing icons are made by craftsmen, and some industrial enterprises, church shops.
In addition to such details, the corner shelf for icons should have a back wall in the form of a carved iconostasis. The thread is made with floral ornaments, outlines of saints, fabulous birds.
To decorate the upper part of the shelf for icons, you can choose the outlines of an Orthodox church.
Advice! The do-it-yourself corner shelf for icons is suitable for those who have skills in working with wood.
You can cut bas-reliefs on your own, pick up interesting reliefs. To cut a crucifix, you must first select a high-quality sketch, and only after that proceed with the implementation of the plans.
As wood from which a crucifix can be carved, we note birch, aspen, spruce, pine, juniper boards.
Attention! The work will require a set of tools for cutting wood.
The order of work on the manufacture of shelves for icons
On a board, the thickness of which is fifteen millimeters, the outlines, as well as the main contours of the parts, are transferred from a paper sketch to the main board. Next, you need to cut out the crucifix with an electric jigsaw. With the help of incisors, you need to make convex parts. The carving must be carried out in layers, carefully highlighting the internal parts with a thin cutter. Once the procedure for cutting the crucifix is completed, you can start sanding the product, armed with fine sandpaper.
Advice! If you have to cut bas-reliefs in segments, it is better to fix them with a plywood sheet from the back.
Then the decorative parts are glued together, attached to the plate sheet. To eliminate all excess, you can use a jigsaw or an electric cutter.
Sandpaper is necessary to carry out high-quality grinding of the side finished product.
To make beautiful crossbars, you will need certain professional skills, as well as certain equipment. After the balusters are made, it is important to carry out high-quality grinding of the product.
For a shelf for icons, you will need several details:
- side panels;
- vertical racks;
- sides;
- shelves
Shelf templates for icons can be made from pieces of wood board.
Attention! Professionals do not advise using plywood for templates, since after cutting it needs to be significantly modified.
You will need two side panels for the shelf, in addition, you need to take care of purchasing high-quality fasteners.
Sequencing
To get started, you need to apply ready-made templates to the blackboard. Further using electric jigsaw detail is formed. The cutter performs edge processing, all irregularities and roughness on the surface are polished with abrasive paper. Before making holes, they need to be marked with a pencil. Further, side panels are prepared according to the same algorithm. After assembling the product, it is desirable to varnish the shelf.
Fixing on the wall
To fix the corner shelf for the icons on the wall, you will need dowels. First you need to attach hinged loops to the finished product. Next, the shelf is applied to the wall, and the places where the dowels will be located are marked. Holes for them are made with an electric drill.
There are certain requirements that must be observed in order for the finished shelf for icons to be beautifully fixed on the wall:
- the product should hang at the level of human eyes or higher;
- next to the icons there should not be other decorative elements;
- if there are functional lamps on the shelf, it is important to ensure fire safety (there should be no flammable materials near the shelf)
Decoration features
Basically, in the manufacture of shelves for icons, natural wood is used. If you can’t make carved planks and details with your own hands, you can limit yourself to creating its imitation. To obtain a similar effect, you can first burn out the drawing, then cover the finished fragments with decorative enamel. To do this, the contour of the ornament is transferred to the top panel or side, with the help of burning devices, all the contours are outlined.
Attention! The finished pattern must be uniform over the entire surface of the product, otherwise the shelf will have an unaesthetic appearance.
As soon as the contouring is completed, enamel is applied to the surface with a thin brush, then the product is covered with a colorless varnish.
Master Class
It is now a tradition to decorate your home Christian icons returns, even in city apartments you can find a home-made "red corner", which is often called a shrine. If you choose the right materials for the shelf, it can be made functional. decorative element apartment interior. Priests say that icon shelves should be in the home of every believer.
In the manufacture of such products, wood, plywood, polymeric materials, metal can be used.
Depending on personal preferences, shelves for icons can be single-tier or multi-tier structures. Icons for the iconostasis can be mounted on a table or placed on a shelf.
To create a three-tier structure, stock up on manual milling machine, jigsaw, ruler, pencil, nails or screws, abrasive material, hammer, wood glue.
In order for the shelf to be beautiful, to please its owner for a long period, it is important to carry out preliminary measurements of the width, height, depth of the planned structure.
Advice! Optimal size for a corner shelf for icons, professionals consider a height of 70 centimeters.
You need to transfer the drawing to plywood or wood. If the surface has dark color, instead of a pencil it is better to use a construction knife. Professionals recommend numbering the details of the drawing in order to avoid mistakes during assembly. As soon as the main details of the planned iconostasis are cut out with a jigsaw, all the edges of the product are processed with a manual milling cutter.
To ensure that there are no rolling pins and irregularities on the surface of the shelf, the surface is polished with sandpaper.
Attention! When grinding, the abrasive material must be moved in the direction of the fibers.
To connect the parts together, you can use nails or screws. For strength, you can also arm yourself with glue designed for wood. You can varnish or stain wood to protect it from high humidity and temperature changes, as well as give the product an aesthetic appearance.
Basically, shelves for icons are arranged in three rows, but one main row is distinguished - deisis. In order for the iconostasis being created to be made correctly, to reliably protect the apartment and its inhabitants, it is important to arrange the icons in a clear order.
The upper part is a deisis, in its center there should be an icon of Jesus.
To the left of her is the image of the protector - the Most Holy Theotokos, with right side there is always an icon of John the Baptist.
Ideally, the number of icons is 12 pieces - according to the number of major Christian holidays. On the bottom shelf of the self-made iconostasis, you can place any icons that are revered in a particular region.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that the twenty-first century is the time of innovative computer technologies, people still think about their soul, turn to higher powers for advice. Not everyone has time to visit church services, therefore, improvised iconostases appear in private houses and city apartments. Do not know where to start work related to the construction of a shelf for icons? In this case, first carefully study the recommendations of professionals, and also look at photos of finished works:
After you get the first idea of the order of work, you can proceed to the implementation of the conceived idea. If you follow all the recommendations of professionals, you will receive a high-quality and original iconostasis for icons. Many people own icons that should be placed on a special shelf, and not stand by the TV or tape recorder.
Home iconostasis made of natural wood with carved patterns
The tradition of arranging a home iconostasis has existed for more than one century. Although in modern houses icons are often placed on shelves bookcases or hung on the wall, it is best to equip a separate special place for them.
Single-tier straight rack - shelf for icons
A good option would be hanging shelf, which according to the canon should be placed on the eastern wall of the house. Often such a shelf is made angular, two or three tiers high.
Beautiful wooden shelf for icons in the corner of the room in three tiers
Corner shelf for icons with a candlestick
Shelf for icons "Home mini corner iconostasis"
In the workshops, you can order a stand for home icons of any size and configuration, but this is quite an expensive job.
Corner shelf made of fiberboard, made in three tiers
An easier option is to use a regular corner shelf from a hardware store, but in this case, there may be sizing issues. In addition, you will have to look for a model that will better "fit" into the interior. All these difficulties can be avoided if you make a shelf for icons yourself - this is quite feasible even with little experience in carpentry.
Hinged corner shelf for wooden icons
Do-it-yourself icon shelf can have any convenient design. Corner shelves are made single-level or in several tiers. To connect several levels, supports carved from wood are usually used. The finished shelf is often decorated with carvings, openwork overlays, covered with special carpentry varnish, wax.
Small corner shelf for icons two tiers
Do-it-yourself home iconostasis
Necessary materials and tools
For the manufacture of the corner shelf, wood of various decorative species is used - for example, oak or cherry. A less expensive material would be a pine board. In addition to wood, you can also use plywood or chipboard. The thickness of the board can vary from 1.5 cm to 2.5 cm. You will also need boards of small width in order to carve the supports.
To work, you will need the following tools:
- tape measure or ruler;
- hacksaw;
- sandpaper for wood;
- electric jigsaw;
- electric drill;
- self-tapping screws;
- wood glue;
- varnish for wood.
Required Tools
To attach the finished shelf to the wall, you will also need stone drills, metal corners or hinges, self-tapping screws with dowels.
Manufacturing steps
Carved corner shelf for icons self made with drawing
Before starting work, you should make a project drawing. The size and number of shelves depend on the type of icons that will be placed on the finished home iconostasis. To make a simple bunk shelf, you will need two 1.5 cm thick pine boards, as well as four supports.
- Using a marker or pencil, the drawing is transferred from paper to wood. The sides adjacent to the wall should be located relative to each other at a right angle. The outer edge can be straight, semicircular or curly.
- Using a saw and a jigsaw, the details of the future product are cut out according to the drawing.
We cut three parts with a jigsaw according to the template - sidewall, side and bottom
- The edges and surfaces of the parts are polished with sandpaper.
- The supports can be made simple in the form of flat planks, or they can be shaped with a jigsaw.
The blank is milled according to a stencil on special equipment
- If necessary, shelves for shelves are cut out of a thinner board.
For turning decorative details you need a lathe or they are taken ready
- With the help of self-tapping screws, the shelves are attached to the supports, then interconnected.
We assemble the shelf - bottoms are screwed to the turned elements with the help of self-tapping screws
- Joiner's glue is used to strengthen the joints, as well as to attach the sides.
When connecting the sidewalls to the bottoms, the screws must fall into the middle of the ends of the bottoms
- Metal hinges are attached to the back of the shelf or to the supports.
The sides are screwed with the help of cylinders - self-tapping screws are inserted into the holes from the bottom side, the cylinders are put on, the hardware is twisted into the side
- Holes are drilled in the wall for the dowels of the mounting bolts on which the product will hang. It is necessary to make sure that the fasteners can withstand the weight of the shelves with icons.
The final stage is the coating of the finished product with drying oil and attaching it to the brackets in the corner
After completion of work, the finished shelf is treated with stain and varnish. Both colorless varnishes and those that give the board the color of various types of wood are suitable. When choosing a quick-drying varnish, the product is ready for use in a few hours.
Small shelves for icons different color- pine, walnut, mahogany
decoration
Depending on the complexity of the elements of decorating the shelf for icons, they can be made by hand or purchased in a ready-made version.
The most common way to decorate a home icon case is woodcarving. You can do it yourself with a jigsaw. If there is no necessary experience, carved elements can be bought at a hardware store, ordered in a workshop. Finished carved plates are attached to the shelf with wood glue.
For carving, soft wood is selected: birch, spruce, pine, aspen or juniper
Another way to decorate is to burn the ornament with a special device - for this, the pattern is first applied to the tree with a pencil. The shelf can also be painted - special paints on wood are sold in construction departments. An alternative to a strict monophonic coloring would be to apply a pattern to the enamel with paint of a different color.
It is possible to burn out the ornament, followed by enamel opening of individual fragments of the image on the shelf
To further strengthen and decorate the shelf, its rear walls close wooden panel. It can also be decorated with carvings, painted with varnish, enamel.
Shelf for icons with a beautiful back wall
To decorate the upper part of the shelf for icons, you can choose the outlines of an Orthodox church
When using a plywood board, these methods will not work - but on such a panel painting with acrylic paint with the addition of gilding will look spectacular.
Small figured shelf for icons with candlesticks and a lamp
Video: Do-it-yourself iconostasis shelf Woodcarving DIY
