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Unfortunately, yes.

Favorable conditions in the room for storing hand-painted icons:
✅ Optimal temperature in the room where the hand painted icon is stored should be around 17-22°C (62-72°F);
✅ Optimal humidity – 50-65%.
▶️These figures are usually present in residential apartments. If the environment experiences fluctuations in these indicators, especially during winter and summer, it is strongly recommended to place the hand painted icon in a kiot.

Kiot (or an icon case) is a special wooden box that protects the sacred image from humidity and temperature fluctuations, as well as unforeseen mechanical damage.

Hello! Don’t you worry about it. Icons are not magical amulets or something, so they can’t bring something “bad” to you or your friend. Orthodox believe that icons are just depictions of Lord Jesus, angels or saints. By venerating them we venerate the one depicted, but not the image itself, as it is only an image. Of course we treat icons with care and reverence as we would do with depictions of our loved ones. That’s it. I’d recommend you to get a new icon. The one that would touch you the most. Just read the Gospel or the lives of saints and find an event or a person that would feel the most kindred to you. Who knows, maybe by this event God has called you and now wants you to begin your spiritual path. Feel free to ask any questions.

Wishing you well,
rdr. John

You’re always welcome!

Well, you have to understand why you don’t want to be in RC Church anymore and why you want to be in the Orthodox Church. If your faith does not contradict the faith of the Orthodox Church and you want to convert, then you just visit an orthodox church and take part in the Sacrament of Penance. You have to refute the filioque, the dogma of papal primacy and etc. After participating in Penance, you can consider yourself a member of the Orthodox Church and take part in it’s services and Sacraments like any other member would. Children converting from catholicism need to take part in Chrismation (in case they were not chrismated in RCC). Feel free to ask any questions.

In Christ,
Rdr. John

Hello, John!

Please contact st.elisabeth.shop@gmail.com. I guess our convent’s icon studio actually does restore old icons. And as far as my guess goes it would be much cheeper than in US. I remember a case when someone from Australia sent us his icon to have it restored. Anyway, contact the email above, you’ll get help anyways.

In Christ,
Rdr. John