Icon corner?

[Anatole]

As you all know my family has been Antiochian Orthodox for 11 years and we still don't have a proper icon corner.
Could you all share with me what this is supposed to look like and where in the house is the best place to put an icon corner?
This is what we have right now. In each of our bedrooms on our end tables we have our icons, but I would like to put them all in one area.
How do I arrange the icons when we have so many?

 

[Akathist]

My priest thinks it is great to have icons spread through out the house. However, we are also encouraged to have a prayer corner with a gathering of some of our icons.

That might be the solution for you. Keep your icons through out the house, but create an icon corner with some of them.

This is how I set mine up. (But of course there are different ways to do this.) I started with a Cross, then on each side I put an icon of Theotokos and Christ. (Left for Theotokos like it is in church.)

Mine is near a bookcase but not directly over the bookcase. So, my incense and vigil lamp is not where I would like it to be as they are on top of the book case.

However, I would prefer that the vigil lamp be hanging down between the icons of Christ and Theotokos (or better, that I have two in front of each). The incense burning just below that would be best.

Then, you can put icons of various other Saints around this grouping. I have a row of icons horizontally below Christ and Theotokos. Then over above the book case I have the icon of my Patrone Saint and one of a group of Women Saints.

The rest of my icons are spread throughout the house, one at least in every room.

 

[Anatole]

Thanks Akathist, that's very helpful! I have also heard the icon corner should be facing East.

 

[Akathist]

Oh, yes, I should have said that. It is best if when you are facing the icon corner that you are facing East.

(so actually the corner would be facing west).

However, sometimes that is not possible. I was able to do this here in this rental, but I have had other rentals where that would have been very hard to do. Just avoid facing West yourself when you say your prayers.

 

[Silentchapel]

This is how mine looks like. Sadly, it faces north. My eastern wall is taken.

 

[Anatole]

Thanks again! I'm glad to see that you are still safe!!!
I will continue to pray for you!!!

 

[Anatole]

That's a great icon corner!!! Thank you for the picture!!!

 

[RobNJ]

Here's a non- updated pic of mine

The books in the middle & right side are now actually IN a bookcase!!
And there's an icon of the Holy Unmercenaries, where the books used to be. On the opposite side of the room, I have a diptych just behind my computer desk & the small "Holy Napkin" icon that was with me in the hospital & the rehab above the bedside table.

 

[Anatole]

Thanks Rob, your icon corner is beautiful too!!! We have the same icon of Christ in our home.

 

[Eusebios]

Anatole,
Here's a quick snapshot of ours:

 

[Anatole]

Eusebios-Your icon corner really is in a corner! This helps me visualize how I can also put mine in a corner!
Thank you, I love the crucifix at the top.
Everyone has such beautiful icons!!!

 

[Eusebios]

Yes, it is indeed a corner at the bottom of our steps, which also faces east so it is the ideal location.
I do not remember exactly where the crucifix is from off hand, but it is lovely. Mny of our icons were mounted by our godson, Fr. Dcn. Daniel Mathewson.
Peace,
Don

 

[Michael G]

These are pictures of my old icon wall from my house in Ohio. My new icon room is still being done. I promise I will take pictures of it when it is done.

 

[Michael G]

This was my other icon corner in my bedroom, again back in ohio.

 

[Anatole]

Your icons look beautiful Michael. This is so great to be able to see this special part of everyone's homes!

 

[Michael G]

Your icons look beautiful Michael. This is so great to be able to see this special part of everyone's homes!

I had 2 icon corners because my priest thought it pretentious for me to pray in front of my own work. Thus I had the icon corner in my bedroom with my icons in it, and the main icon wall which had some prints of my work and a few small icons of mine, but mostly had prints of classical icons on it. The main icon wall had something like 50 or so icons on it at one point and is where I did my daily prayers.

 

[Anatole]

Michael- What's in the container on the right hand side of you shelf? I've never seen anything like that before.

 

[Michael G]

Michael- What's in the container on the right hand side of you shelf? I've never seen anything like that before.

That is what I kept my incense in.

 

[Michael G]

I found this sweet little cabinet that is roughly the size of a coffee table to use in my new icon room instead of the table in the picture, so all of the spare candles, incense and stuff that are under the table will be inside the cabinet and thus the whole thing will look much neater. This icon corner was a bit of a humorous thing to me. Jenn the Finn challenged me to get a lampada for it and then when I got a persian style rug for my corner she turned arround and bought one for hers!

 

[Anatole]

Michael- That rug looks beautiful with all the color in your icons! If I visited you I'd be constantly wanting to straighten your icons!!!