Thinking allowed

The Coronation Oil

on Monday, 6 March 2023 at 2.51 pm by Simon Kershaw
categorised as coronation, liturgical news, liturgy

The oil that will be used to anoint the king and queen at their coron­a­tion on 6 May has been con­sec­rated in Jer­u­s­alem by the Ortho­dox Pat­ri­arch of Jer­u­s­alem and the Anglic­an Arch­bish­op. The Arch­bish­op of Can­ter­bury’s web­site reports the details here, and that art­icle is archived below.

The Consecration of the King’s Coronation Oil

3 March 2023

The Chrism Oil which will be used to anoint His Majesty The King on 6th May 2023 has been con­sec­rated in Jer­u­s­alem today.

The idea of cre­at­ing a new oil for the Coron­a­tion was ini­ti­ated by the Arch­bish­op of Can­ter­bury, partly to hon­our the King’s per­son­al con­nec­tions with Jer­u­s­alem and partly to high­light the links between the Coron­a­tion, the Bible and the Holy Land.

Today’s cere­mony took place in The Church of the Holy Sep­ulchre in Jer­u­s­alem, one of the most sac­red sites in Christianity.

The oil was con­sec­rated by the Pat­ri­arch of Jer­u­s­alem, His Beatitude Pat­ri­arch Theo­philos III, and the Anglic­an Arch­bish­op in Jer­u­s­alem, The Most Rev­er­end Hosam Naoum.

It has been cre­ated using olives har­ves­ted from two groves on the Mount of Olives, at the Mon­as­tery of Mary Mag­dalene and the Mon­as­tery of the Ascen­sion. The Mon­as­tery of Mary Mag­dalene is the buri­al place of His Majesty’s grand­moth­er, Prin­cess Alice of Greece. The olives were pressed just out­side Bethlehem.

The oil has been per­fumed with essen­tial oils – ses­ame, rose, jas­mine, cin­na­mon, ner­oli, ben­zoin and amber – as well as orange blossom.

The Coron­a­tion Oil is based on the oil used at the Coron­a­tion of Queen Eliza­beth II, the for­mula of which has been used for hun­dreds of years.  It will also be used for the anoint­ing of Her Majesty The Queen Consort.

The Arch­bish­op of Can­ter­bury said:  “I am hon­oured and grate­ful that His Beatitude Pat­ri­arch Theo­philos III and Arch­bish­op Hosam Naoum have con­sec­rated the oil that will be used to anoint His Majesty The King. I want to thank espe­cially His Beatitude for provid­ing this Coron­a­tion Oil, which reflects The King’s per­son­al fam­ily con­nec­tion with the Holy Land and his great care for its peoples. I am also delighted that the Anglic­an Arch­bish­op in Jer­u­s­alem shared in the con­sec­ra­tion of the oil.

“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. As we pre­pare to anoint The King and The Queen Con­sort, I pray that they would be guided and strengthened by the Holy Spirit.”