The icon for the Orthodox person is a great shrine, a window into the spiritual world. Orthodox people venerate not the material itself, from which the image is made, and colors, but directly the person depicted in the icon.
In the Christian tradition, it is customary to call written images of the great ascetics of piety holy icons. There is a special order of consecration of various icons in the Orthodox consumables.
Every Orthodox person wants to have a sanctified shrine in his house - a holy icon. Icons that can be purchased in temples are already consecrated. Some people want to acquire holy images not only in temples, but also in some stores. In such cases, if the icon is written according to the Orthodox canon, the image must be consecrated.
Most often, icons consecrate in temples. This can be done at any time when a priest is present in the House of God. Usually the icons are blessed after the morning services. On holidays and Sundays - after the liturgy or the fulfillment of the required.
In order to consecrate the icon, it is required to bring the holy image to the temple and ask the clergyman for consecration. You can also first contact the seller in the church shop, expressing a desire to consecrate the holy image.
Icons can also be sanctified before or after evening worship. It all depends on the employment of the priest.
Some people may ask the priest for the blessing of the icon at a time when the clergyman makes any needs at home. In this case, the holy image can be consecrated immediately before or after the fulfillment of the treba itself.
