From the panel to prayer
Blessing an icon
When the last coat of olifa is dry, the icon is finished as a work, but has not yet begun its life. In the Christian tradition an icon is blessed before being placed for prayer: it is the moment the image is entrusted to God and to the Church.
Why it is blessed
The blessing adds nothing magical to the panel: it is the prayer by which the Church recognises the icon as a sacred image, destined for worship, and asks that those who venerate it be led to the One depicted. In the Eastern tradition the icon is blessed with holy water and a specific prayer; by a widespread custom it is sometimes left on the altar for a time, so that the Divine Liturgy may be celebrated over it.
Who blesses it and how
- A priest, Catholic or Orthodox, according to the community of the person receiving the icon.
- In the Catholic Church the Book of Blessings provides a rite for blessing sacred images, for use in church or in the family.
- The rite is short: a reading from Scripture, a prayer, sprinkling with holy water.
- The icon can be blessed in the parish, during the blessing of the home, or at the baptism or wedding for which it was painted.
From the iconographer's hands to the home
Concetta Basile paints her icons in prayer, and every stage of the work is documented with photographs and recorded time. On delivery, the icon is ready to be blessed: for a gift, the blessing can become a small celebration with those who commissioned it and those who receive it. Like every icon by Concetta Basile, it is fully gilded with 23¾ karat gold, with inscriptions in Greek or Latin, and is commissioned with an offering proportionate to the time and materials of the work.
Frequently asked questions
Does an icon already blessed need blessing again when it moves house?
No: the blessing remains. You can, however, ask for the blessing of the new home, during which the priest also prays before the icons.