At a special ceremony in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, the oil for the coronation of King Charles III was consecrated, reports the press service of the Buckingham Palace. The consecration was performed by the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilus with the participation of the Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem Hossam Naum.
The oil is from olives harvested from two groves on the Mount of Olives, in the monastery of St. Mary Magdalene” and the “Ascension of the Lord” monastery. In the monastery “St. Mary Magdalene’, the grandmother of Charles III, Princess Alice of Greece, is buried.
The olives were pressed near Bethlehem. The oil is scented with essential oils – sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli, benzoin and amber, as well as orange blossom.
The oil uses the same formula as the oil that Queen Elizabeth II was anointed with and that has been used for hundreds of years.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby thanked Patr. Theophilus on consecrating the oil: “I am honored and grateful that His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilus III and Archbishop Hossam Naum have consecrated the oil that will be used to anoint His Majesty the King. I want to especially thank His Beatitude for providing this coronation oil, which is an expression of the King’s personal family connection with the Holy Land and his great concern for their peoples… This shows the deep historical connection between the coronation, the Bible and the Holy Land. From ancient kings to the present day, monarchs have been anointed with oil from this sacred place. As we prepare to anoint the King and Queen Consort, we pray that they will be guided and strengthened by the Holy Spirit.”
The coronation and anointing of the King of Great Britain Charles III and his wife will take place on May 6, 2023.
