A shelf for icons is an ideal place to store the faces of saints and other paraphernalia of the Orthodox faith. With its help, you can compactly arrange images, candles, lamps and prayer books, highlighting for these items a separate place that will not interfere with households and occupy the missing space. There are different shelves for icons, among themselves they differ in configuration, size, capacity and material from which they are made.
Do I need an iconostasis at home?
Of course, believers need it, because they probably have images of different saints, but it is not always possible to select a worthy place for such relics. Icons most often stand in sideboards, on shelves with books, or are completely hidden in a closet. The shelf for icons is not something new and unprecedented for parishioners of churches. Our great-grandfathers also equipped a small prayer space in their homes. Icons were placed in the corners, decorated with embroidered towels, bouquets of dried ears and flowers.
In the access area of any family member there were always small deities on whom they placed miniature images and a bible, prayer books, candles or water bottles consecrated in the church. There is nothing strange in this, because in the old days people prayed daily in the morning and in the evening, and it was important for them to have a separate cozy corner for this, where you can completely concentrate on communication with God. This special place was the shelf for the icons: corner, straight or icon case. Nowadays, an increasing number of people are turning to faith, so these bright traditions have again become popular.
What are the shelves for icons?
There are two fundamental differences between the deities. They can be straight and angular. A direct shelf for icons is hung on a flat wall, it takes up quite a lot of space, and this must be taken into account when choosing a location for it. Corner, as the name implies, is attached at the junction of the walls. This makes the shelf as compact as possible, but very roomy.
Also, the iconostases differ in the number of tiers. Shelves can consist not only of one board - they are two-, three- and even four-tier. The height between the "floors" is usually different, which makes it possible to place faces of different sizes on the shrine. The shelf for icons is usually made of several types of wood: the case is made of alder or linden, and the sculptures are made of oak and ash. The color of the iconostasis directly depends on the type of material from which it is made, as well as on its external coating.
Where to get the goddess?
In families whose members were able to maintain the custom of visiting churches on holidays and weekends, there were probably not only a variety of old church attributes, but also ancient shelves for icons. A photo of one of them is presented a little higher. This goddess was made by real craftsmen several hundred years ago and clearly demonstrates the religious and cultural heritage of our ancestors. Now they are no longer produced, they can only be bought from someone. But modern masters also make real masterpieces, which in quality and aesthetics are in no way inferior to ancient counterparts.
The easiest way to buy a goddess is in specialized stores located at churches. There you can also purchase various ritual accessories made according to all Orthodox canons. The corner shelf under the icons for believers is in greatest demand because of its compactness, although other types of them find their rightful place in the homes of parishioners.
There is another option - the manufacture of the deity according to individual parameters. Such work can be done by a person who is well versed in carpentry. The final result depends on his skill and abilities, as well as on the availability of special tools for wood processing.
Self-made - is it possible?
In fact, the shelf for the icons can be anything. This is not necessarily a multi-tiered product with carvings, bas-reliefs and chiseled balusters. As a deity, it is perfectly acceptable to use the simplest wooden hinged shelf, which almost any man can cut independently.
Such a product consists of guides that are attached with dowels and screws to the wall, and directly to the shelf itself. Guides are two slats with grooves, connected by an angle. They can be cut with a circular saw - this is the fastest and most convenient way. But if there is no such mechanism at hand, an ordinary hand file will do. The joint of the slats with grooves is either made smooth, then the parts are cut at the right angle using a miter box, or studded.
The very same corner shelf for icons can be made of glued boards, MDF or chipboard with a thickness of 12 to 20 mm. Experts recommend cutting it out not by eye, strictly maintaining a right angle in the bow of the canvas, and making preliminary measurements, since the walls in the houses do not always converge at an angle of 90 degrees. When the necessary dimensions are determined, they need to be transferred to the workpiece and cut out the shelf with a jigsaw, after which it can be inserted into the guides.
How to decorate a shelf?
The corner shelf under the icons often contains a variety of decorative elements and additions. If a master can make them, then his product will turn not just into a convenient and practical place for storing religious paraphernalia, but will become its worthy frame.
The most logical and easiest way to execute a shelf design is thread. Masters use a variety of religious symbols for cutting down:
- crosses;
- letter designations;
- plant ornaments;
- geometric patterns.
Another decoration method is to finish workpieces with metal plates, onto which patterns are applied using a special embossing technique (basma). Independently making such a decor is very problematic. Most often, the basis for basma is a straight shelf for icons. Corner iconostases are also decorated in this way, but selectively and only small fragments.
Differences of corner shelves, their sizes
There are several options for such iconostases. They differ in height, design and additional attributes. The standard corner shelf for the icons has a width of 63 cm and a depth of 33 cm. The height directly depends on the number of tiers in the product and its decor.
Usually the deities are open to the eye, but there are models equipped with small drawers. Miniature objects can be stored in them, for example, body crosses or small icons inlaid with precious metals. There are also fully lockable iconostases, shelves of which are hidden behind swing doors.
The right place for privacy
Where is the best place for the deity A direct shelf for icons will not fit into every interior, because it will catch the eye of everyone in the room. If there is not much space in the house and its owner does not have the opportunity to allocate a separate room for prayers, it is better to opt for a corner iconostasis. You can hang it in the bedroom, in the living room and even in the kitchen, because people often pray before meals. The shelf itself is attached high enough, but not under the ceiling itself, but so that you can easily take anything from it.