HOLY OIL
Sacred oil that will be used to anoint King Charles at coronation filmed being consecrated for first time
A SACRED oil that will be used to anoint King Charles at his coronation has been filmed being consecrated for the first time.
Chrism oil, also known as myrrh and created using olives harvested from two groves on the Mount of Olives, will be placed by the Archbishop of Canterbury on King Charles’s breast, head and hand.
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A 30-minute consecration ceremony was filmed at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, Israel, where the body of Jesus was prepared for burial.
The anointing will be the most sacred part of May’s coronation as it symbolises the monarch is bound to God.
The ritual has been held at Westminster Abbey for 1,000 years.
But the ceremony was kept off camera during Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953.
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The oil has been perfumed with essential oils, sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli, benzoin, amber and orange blossom.
The Archbishop of Canterbury said: “Since beginning the planning for the coronation, my desire has been for a new coronation oil to be produced using olive oil from the Mount of Olives.
“This demonstrates the deep historic link between the coronation, the Bible and the Holy Land.
“From ancient kings through to the present day, monarchs have been anointed with oil from this sacred place.
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“As we prepare to anoint the King and the Queen Consort, I pray that they would be guided and strengthened by the Holy Spirit.”
Yesterday’s ceremony was conducted by His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III and Archbishop Hosam Naoum.
Archbishop Naoum said: “I felt a deep sense of spiritual experience.”
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