Blessing of the Dwelling

The universally venerated Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God is surrounded by colored decorative stones and two bottles containing myrrh anointing oil and particles of the Holy Land soil – it was blessed on the Stone of Anointing at the Temple of the Holy Sepulcher and bestows a blessing on the home.

 People pray before the Jerusalem icon to ask for well-being of family members, family protection, help in conceiving a child, healing souls’ ailments or when away on a trip. The olive wood tablet, depicting the Most Holy Mother of God, also features an inscription bestowing a blessing upon the home and two additional images of the cross without crucifix. Anointing oil from Jerusalem may be applied on the body in times of illness or distress — when placed upon the tablet it has a beneficial effect upon all people living in the house.

There are no strict canon rules as to where this blessing tablet may be placed. Please feel free to put it together with other icons or hang it in front of the entrance — for Jerusalem Mother of God to bless every person who enters here.