What icons should be in the house - a list of the main ones

List of required icons in a person’s home

Any icon is not only a talisman for housing, but also an image from which one turns to God. Each of the icons is a kind of prototype of the depicted Saint. Previously, they were usually placed in the eastern part of each house or apartment. Today the situation has changed so much that not every place where a person lives can place icons in the eastern corner of a living space. Therefore, now they choose places for icons where it is more convenient to turn to God in prayer.

Despite the absence of strict rules, there is a list of icons that are preferable to have in your home. Below we list the icons that are considered mandatory to be in the home of every believer.

Icon with the image of Jesus Christ. By all accounts, it is capable of healing serious ailments and serious diseases. The image of the crucified Jesus protects from all sorts of disasters, calms and guides on the right path, supporting in difficult times. This shrine should be placed in the most honorable place in the house.
Icon with the face of the Virgin Mary. The Virgin Mary is considered to be the image of pure love; she forgives, giving humility and patience. You can ask the Holy Mother of God for good health, a good spouse, children. This is quite logical, since the Mother of God is the patroness of every woman.

That is why they take such an icon of the bride to their wedding, subsequently keeping it at home as a symbol of a family amulet.

Icon with the image of St. Nicholas the Pleasant. People turn to this saint who hope to solve a difficult problem or who find themselves in a hopeless situation. It is also believed that Saint Nicholas is able to cure serious illnesses.

The listed icons should certainly be present in the home of every Christian, because they protect the family and bring prosperity, being symbols of true harmony.

Nicholas the Wonderworker

The face of a saint for the lonely, the sick and the families of prisoners.

There are incredible legends about St. Nicholas the Wonderworker - the face of the saint works true miracles. Prayer from a pure heart and bright soul before St. Nicholas the Wonderworker allows you to get rid of even serious, fatal diseases.

According to numerous reviews, prayer to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker helps single people find happiness, get married successfully, get married, and have children. Therefore, the face of this saint is especially revered in the home of the lonely and childless.

The icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker helps those unjustly convicted to find peace, achieve the truth and gain freedom. Also, the face of the saint in the form of a small icon is kept by many prisoners whose guilt before the law has been proven. The face of the saint should also be at home with the relatives of the convicted person. Prayers to Nicholas the Wonderworker from loved ones are aimed at asking for intercession before the Lord for the accused.

Home iconostasis: 5 important points when creating

Kitchen icons

The kitchen is the place in the house where the whole family most often gathers together. And since, according to the traditions of Orthodoxy, a prayer should be read before and after meals, it is logical that believing families place a number of icons in the kitchen.

These include:

icons depicting Christ the Savior
image of the Virgin Mary
icons depicting the Holy Trinity.

It is not necessary to place all these icons in the kitchen; even one will be enough. It would also be nice to put an image of Euphrosynus of Palestine in the kitchen, which will help in cooking. This saint served the Lord selflessly, visited Paradise, and then returned to earth alive. In Orthodox churches, clergy honored the gifts of Euphrosynus, distributing them to those who needed help.

Spiridon Trimifuntsky

The face of a saint to pray for the financial well-being of the family.

The face of Saint Spyridon of Trimythous is special for every family, since prayers will help to find financial well-being.

It is very important for those who do business to have an icon of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky in their home. The face of the saint will become an assistant in successful business management.

Which icons are preferable for the living room?

This room is the main room of any home. Guests come here and all the special events of each family are held here.

If you really believe in God, you should definitely hang several icons in your living room, each of which has a specific meaning:

An icon depicting the Savior, the best of which is considered to be a relic with the face of the Lord Pantocrator.
Icon with the face of the Virgin Mary. An ideal option for the living room is the Kazan Mother of God.

Place the icon with the Lord on the right, and with the Mother of God on the left. If not all people in the family believe in God, then purchase a folding icon and use it only during prayer.

Cross and other attributes of prayer

If you were able to create a home iconostasis, crown it with an image of an Orthodox cross. Place the lamp in front of the images. During prayer and on memorable days and holidays, light a light as a symbol of veneration of the saints. Use candles - an image of prayer, a sacrifice to God.

Advice: When choosing an icon in new workshops, carefully consider whether it complies with Orthodox canons. Is it not a crude imitation of the Prototype with the addition of unnecessary embellishments, brightness, and emotionality? Sometimes it is better to purchase a reproduction of an ancient icon and glue it to a board than to buy a rough and careless product from would-be masters.

Icons for the hallway

As you know, the world is full of temptations and deceptions. You have to deal with them every day. Therefore, when leaving home, you must ask the Lord to make your path safe. Be sure to pray, thank Him for his intercession and for a successful return home.

You will be able to achieve protection from bad people if you place the following icons in the hallway:

Icon of the Iveron Blessed Virgin Mary
Image of the Intercession
The Holy Trinity.

It is enough to choose only one of the icons, and it will be enough for well-being. Place the image above the front door and pray every time before leaving the house.

What is an icon and why is it needed?

An icon is not a portrait, not a beautiful image, but a Face.
They write it carefully preparing spiritually, following the canonical requirements. Orthodox images differ, for example, from Catholic and Western schools. Ours are oriental, Greek ones look stricter and simpler. This is not because we are so harsh. When depicting the Holy Face, the icon painter takes into account the main purpose of the image. Its task is to assist in correct, focused prayer. An icon, no matter how significant and miraculous it may be, is a door to the Heavenly World, and prayer is the steps along which we try to soar to Heavenly treasures. Therefore, the Faces of the Byzantine tradition do not fascinate with the variegation of colors, the splendor of vestments, or the passionate emotions that, while entertaining the mind, lead away from the main goal.

Note: Buy for your home not a beautiful picture, but an icon that meets the eastern canons of iconography. Especially the ancient masters, where, looking at the Spirit-bearing Image, the soul is transformed and trembles, realizing the Greatness and Triumph of the Heavenly over all earthly things.

Icons for the bedroom

This place in the house is the most intimate, and only certain icons are allowed to be placed here. And then only on condition that the spouses have legalized the marriage and gotten married. When the condition is met, you can place on the bedroom wall:

icons with the Holy Mother of God
face of Jesus Christ
image of Peter and Fevronia, who are considered to be the patrons of the family hearth
image of Nikolai Ugodnik
icon depicting Spyridon of Trimythos
image of the healer Panteleimon
personal image of the Saint.

Icons are installed above the bed or on the nightstand next to it. It is also allowed to allocate a place for prayer on the window, where you can place not only the icons themselves, but also a lamp for a candle.

Orthodox icons for different places

The reality is that modern apartments consist of several rooms. In any case, there is always a kitchen and a hallway, even if the apartment is very small. There are images that are suitable both where children live and where a person works or relaxes.

Icons for children's

To protect children, there is usually a measurement icon on the dashboard. If not, select a name. It is also advisable to place an icon of the Guardian Angel, the face of Jesus and the Mother of God.

They should be placed in the usual way. If you can’t hang it or put it up, you can buy a bookmark and pray in front of it with your children, if necessary.

Hallway

This is the first place a visitor comes to. Unfortunately, people do not always come here with good thoughts, so there are also several icons at the entrance:

Seven-shot;
Intercession of the Virgin Mary;
The Holy Trinity;
Mother of God of Tver.

They help drive away the negativity coming from an evil visitor, soften the heart and ennoble thoughts. You shouldn’t decorate everything with images; it’s better to choose the most powerful ones.

Bedroom

Some people consider posting icons a sin. In fact, this is a misconception. God always favors love and legal marriages. Icons of Saints Peter and Fevronia, Saint Panteleimon the Healer, Saint Nicholas the Helper.

The location should be chosen so that it is convenient to say prayers while looking at photographs or the dashboard. If a child also sleeps in this place, then a personalized icon is chosen for him or the one that was presented at the birth of the child.

Living room

This is the meeting place for all family members, so it is better that the image of Almighty God be placed here first. It is also worth recommending the Kazan Mother of God.

The face of Jesus should be on the right side, and the Virgin Mary on the left. If there are believers and atheists in the family, a place for prayer should be set aside.

Workplace

Sometimes believers want to have icons in front of them while working. After all, all sorts of difficulties can arise during work. You can stop for a moment and pray without leaving your office.

It is necessary to choose an icon depending on the nature of the work. Here's a short list for adults and students.

For bosses, supervisors, managers - God Almighty.
For protection from envious colleagues and rivals - Sevenfold.
For those who are looking for a job or have long wanted to get one, Spiridon Trimifuntsky is a faithful assistant.
An icon of St. Panteleimon would be appropriate in a doctor’s office.

For pupils and students, you can place a small icon of the Key of the Mind on the desk.

In all cases, you can turn to personalized icons if the prayer is done from the heart and without bad intentions.

Icons for children's

Every child in an Orthodox family should learn to turn to the Saints from early childhood. The presence of icons in the children's room guarantees the peace and good health of each child.

The personalized icon is placed at the head of the bed, and the name of the Saint on it must coincide with the name of the child. For a children's room, you can also choose a dimensional icon, which is selected in accordance with the baby's height at birth.

The following would be appropriate in a child’s room:

icon with Jesus Christ
icon with the Mother of God
icon with Guardian Angel.

It is believed that to the listed icons one can add others that protect the health and bring well-being to children.

Trinity

An icon representing love and unity.

The Life-Giving Trinity is one of the most important icons that you should have at home. The image of three Angels sitting at a meal symbolizes the unity of souls, hearts, and endless love. The Trinity will become a holy amulet for the family and will preserve peace and love in the house. Each family member must pray in front of the icon.

Icons for the office

If, for some reason, a person encounters difficulties related to his work, he should also turn to the Saints. To resolve problems and avoid them in the future, the icon should be in the office of the head of the family.

The choice of icon is based on the person's profession. If suddenly your profession does not have a patron, place an icon with the image of the Patriarch in your office.

As an example, here is a list of occupations and professions along with their patrons:

The student is the image of the Martyr Tatiana, who helps with her studies.
Medical worker - icon with Luke of Crimea. Provides protection at work, gives good health.
The teacher is an icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga. Provides a constant thirst for knowledge and the desire to learn new sciences.
Civil servant - icon of the Mother of God Economissa. Allows you to manage affairs honestly and fairly.
Athlete - any version of the icon of the Mother of God. Guarantees good luck in business and quick success.

The bigger, the better?

Often on pilgrimage trips to monasteries and churches in Siberia and Russia, I noticed that when I was in a holy place, looking at the images, I did not want to part with them. You feel peace in your soul, hope appears, and you experience an unusual feeling of God’s mercy. And you want to take with you a piece of where you’ve been. And not only. Each icon is connected with the history of a given monastery, temple. There is a desire to buy at least some from the Orthodox stall.

Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov:

“Holy icons were accepted by the Holy Church to excite pious memories and sensations, and not at all to excite reverie. Standing before the icon of the Savior, stand as if before the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, omnipresent in Divinity and present with His icon in the place where it is located. Standing before the icon of the Mother of God, stand as if before the Most Holy Virgin Herself...”

But we forget that we imperceptibly create problems for ourselves and our loved ones who live next to us in the same house, in the same apartment, and sometimes have a negative opinion of ourselves by moving away from our loved ones.

We start placing icons first in the bedroom, then gradually move to other rooms, hang icons above doors, place them on windows without asking the opinions of loved ones or consulting them.

It turns out that we took into account only our desires and aspirations. Being carried away by buying icons, we forget the main thing: do not interfere, do not harm, do not impose. Everything is good in moderation.

The husband began to express his grievances. He said: “It’s already like being in church.” It turned out that I unwittingly began to impose my lifestyle on my husband and got into his space. He doesn’t go to church and doesn’t like to talk about this topic. The priest of our Church of Xenia of St. Petersburg, Priest John, gave advice regarding the current situation: “Think first of all about others. Don't try to change everything. Don't interfere."

Saint Theophan the Recluse:

“Icons do not contain miraculous power, but the Lord is pleased to show a miracle from them or in their presence: either to arouse faith demonstrated by someone, or for both. Then the high honoring of these icons will follow naturally, both because the Lord was pleased to show His mercy through this icon, and because they hope that they themselves will be honored with the same mercy before this icon...”

Having heard the priest’s advice, I put things in order: I reduced the number of icons in the house so that they would not catch the eye of my husband and my loved ones too often. When I was collecting my favorite icons in boxes, my husband asked only one question: “Where?” I answered: “To church.” After all, there are people who do not have the opportunity to buy even a small icon for themselves. And at home I calmly talked to my husband and asked for forgiveness. And gradually the situation changed for the better. Understanding has come.

The cleric of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Archpriest Alexander Nemchinov, spoke about this well: “An Orthodox Christian should understand better than others that the desire to hoard without a specific goal is a passion. And if this passion extends to sacred objects, in particular to icons, then there is already some blasphemy in this. Although, in most cases, this is most likely not passion, but some kind of inertia.”

Where you can’t put icons at home

There are no categorical prohibitions on finding an icon in an apartment. For the correct placement of icons in the house, it is enough to use common sense:

You cannot hang icons in bathrooms and toilet rooms, which is quite logical. Any living space is suitable for installing icons.
It is unacceptable to place icons next to photographs, regardless of who is depicted in them. Priests strictly adhere to such prohibitions.
It is stupid to place icons next to toys or figurines. You should not hang them next to reproductions of paintings or posters of movie and pop stars.

That, in fact, is all the prohibitions for placing icons.

What is undesirable for a home iconostasis

Photos of relatives and friends are not placed on the iconostasis, whether they are alive or have already passed away. Thus, you seem to equate people, even people very dear to you, and saints.
It’s not good if the sun’s rays hit the icons; this causes the paint to quickly fade. It is better if the images are illuminated by a candle or lamp. This will put you and your family in a prayerful mood.
Small children and pets should not reach the icons, so as not to touch or drop them.

Icons in your home should have a special position. There is nothing more shameful than dusty, unkempt images. Any consecrated icon must be treated as a shrine. Make it a rule to clean up the iconostasis regularly. By honoring images, we honor those depicted in them. Each icon is a window into the heavenly spiritual world, through which we communicate with the Lord, the Mother of God and all the saints. Fervent prayer at home will always be heard.

Traditions of Christianity that have survived to this day

In icons, the meaning is much deeper than external attractiveness.

As in any religion, in Christianity there are basic principles that are strived for and revered.

Orthodoxy has always paid special attention to:

Red corner;
The order of placement of icons in the iconostasis;
A combination of secular and ecclesiastical objects.

Note! A person’s faith is not determined by the number of icons, and of course there is no point in demanding worldly goods from the heavenly patrons depicted on them. All icons that are preserved and passed down from generation to generation have an exclusively spiritual component; they are an instrument of thanksgiving and observance of the sacraments of prayer.

Red corner. Our ancestors did not display icons wherever they had to, trying to fit them into the interior of their home. Moreover, all the faces were grouped in one place, which was located in a well-lit corner far from the entrance. This corner was chosen between the two windows of the front wall and the end wall, it was always kept clean, and it was here that the icons of the family were located.

In many ways, Christians tried to copy church canons in everyday life. So all the icons were located in an icon case or shrine. These are special cabinets or shelves on which, in addition to the icons themselves, there were vessels with holy water, illuminated twigs, Easter eggs, as well as a Prayer Book and the Gospel.

Purchasing in the online store

Photo: Akafistnik.ru
It is important to understand what an online store selling icons is. It is clear that the holy faces are not consecrated, so doubts arise:

Are canonical icons offered for sale?
who, how and where made them;
The proceeds from the sale of icons are used for spiritual, Orthodox, or good deeds.

Clerics may have different opinions about buying images on the Internet, but none of them is definitely against it. The main thing in this purchasing option is the canonicity of the icons and trust in the store. Moreover, it has some advantages:

wide assortment, more choice of icons than in a church store;
low prices (online stores purchase icons from the manufacturer in large quantities at low prices and do not have intermediaries in sales);
in addition to simple and not particularly expensive icons, it is possible to paint an icon to order from a professional icon painter;
online consultation on any issues: chat, email, phone;
You can receive the image by mail or courier delivery.

There are places where it is strictly not recommended to buy icons: these are spontaneous markets, fairs, supermarkets, subways. There is only one exception - if at a fair, in a store, at an exhibition and other places the sale is made by a representative of the Orthodox Church, then they can be safely purchased.

Shopping at a church store

Photo: Akafistnik.ru
It’s easy to choose an image in a religious accessories store at an Orthodox church. The advantages are obvious:

all the goods sold in the shop have already been consecrated;
the buyer always sees what he is buying;
the donation for the icon will go to the needs of the church (salaries of employees, taxes, utilities);
Any question can be answered by the seller or church minister.

But the temple is the House of God, a place of prayer for parishioners. The church shop is an accompanying aid for believers. Here you can order any church requirement, purchase Orthodox books, paraphernalia, and especially revered icons. But it happens that the icon that is so needed is not available. Therefore, you can look for it in the online store.

There is also a negative side to purchasing images in a church shop. The suggested donation for icons is much higher than in other places. What is this connected with? The church is the third link after the manufacturer of the goods. There is an intermediary between the manufacturer and the church shop. It is he who increases his percentage for the opportunity to purchase goods in small wholesale quantities (the parish does not need a large number of icons at the same time).

Story

The appearance of the first icons for preserving family and love is considered to be based on religious images depicting the three heavenly patrons. The origin of this iconographic type dates back to the 6th century on the Sinai Peninsula, which is located in Egypt. Then, this territory belonged to the Byzantine state. Later, at the end of the 14th century, the artistic creativity of Russian icon painters managed to surprise all clergy and Orthodox believers with their unique exhibitions depicting patron saints, presented in the Four-Part Icon.

Further, already in the 16th century, new works appeared with images of the main saints, acting as icons for family well-being.