Wedding Crowns

When performing the Sacrament of Marriage (wedding), crowns are laid on the bride and groom, which carry a deep symbolic meaning. The crown is a badge of reward, it recalls those laurel wreaths that have been assigned to the winners since antiquity.

Crowns have been used in Christian marriage since ancient times. St. John Chrysostom, who lived in the 4th-5th centuries, wrote about them (AD).

Usually wedding crowns are decorated with a cross and icons: images of the Savior, Our Lady, saints. As a rule, the set includes 2 crowns: the one in front of which the icon of Christ is located is intended for the groom, and the one carrying the icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary is for the bride.

Interestingly, in those days, crowns were ordinary wreaths of unfading plants – laurel or myrtle. The newlyweds wore these crowns for 7 days, and on the eighth day the priest read a special prayer over them “for the permission of the crowns,” and only after that the crowns were removed. This prayer is still included in the rank of wedding.

In addition, the wedding crowns with their round shape (a circle as a symbol of eternity) indicate the continuity of marriage. Orthodox spouses will maintain their spiritual unity beyond earthly existence