You can absolutely buy icons. There’s no prohibition against purchasing them, and you don’t need to wait for someone to give you one as a gift.
The Church has always understood that icons are tools for prayer, windows into heaven that help us commune with Christ and the saints. How you acquire them matters far less than what you do with them once they’re in your home. Orthodox Christians have been purchasing icons from iconographers and church bookstores for centuries. The Ancient Faith Store sells them. Monasteries sell them. Your parish probably has a few for sale in the bookstore or narthex. If buying icons were somehow spiritually problematic, we wouldn’t have an entire economy built around making them available to the faithful.
That said, icons do make wonderful gifts. There’s a long tradition of giving icons for baptisms, weddings, or when someone moves into a new home. A patron saint icon for a newly baptized person is particularly meaningful. But the gift-giving tradition exists alongside the perfectly normal practice of buying icons for yourself.
What matters is your attitude. You’re not buying a decoration or a collectible. You’re acquiring a sacred image that will become part of your prayer life. When you purchase an icon, you should do so with reverence and intention. Ask yourself if this icon will help you pray. Will it draw you closer to Christ? Is it canonically correct, painted according to the Church’s tradition rather than some artist’s personal interpretation?
Buy from reputable sources. Your parish bookstore is the best place to start. If they don’t carry icons, ask your priest for recommendations. Ancient Faith Ministries has a good selection online. Holy Cross Monastery offers prints of icons painted by their monks. Avoid random Amazon sellers or artists who paint “icons” that look more like Renaissance paintings. The style matters because it carries theology.
Once you’ve purchased an icon, take it to your priest and ask him to bless it. This isn’t because your purchase somehow tainted it. Icons need blessing whether they’re bought, given as gifts, or painted by your own hand. The blessing sets the icon apart for sacred use and connects it to the life of the Church.
Start with an icon of Christ if you’re just beginning. You can’t go wrong there. Then maybe add the Theotokos. After that, your patron saint or saints your family has particular devotion to. Don’t feel like you need to buy a dozen icons at once. Your prayer corner can grow over time as your budget allows and as the Lord provides.
I’ve known people in Beaumont who’ve built their icon corners one icon at a time over years. Someone buys a small print of St. Michael when they visit the parish bookstore. A friend gives them St. Nicholas for Christmas. They save up and purchase a larger icon of Christ Pantocrator. There’s no rush. The point isn’t to have the most impressive collection but to create a space where you can stand and pray.
If someone wants to give you an icon as a gift, receive it gratefully. But don’t feel like you’re being presumptuous or mercenary by purchasing one yourself. The iconographer who painted it needs to eat. The parish bookstore uses those sales to fund ministries. And you need tools for your spiritual life just like you need a Bible and a prayer book.
Treat your icons with respect whether you bought them or received them. Face them inward when you transport them. Don’t stack books on top of them. And when you set up your prayer corner, put Christ on the right side (as you face the icons) and the Theotokos on the left. Your priest can help you arrange everything properly and answer questions about specific icons you’re considering.
