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The Russian Orthodox marriage ceremony is called “crowning” in Greek and Russian, explaining the importance of wedding crowns during the service. Old Russian crowns were traditionally made from wood, bast, silver, iron or copper. The associations between the marriage ceremony and royal coronations meant that the forms of the wedding crowns changed in line with royal crowns.
The groom’s crown was decorated with an image of Christ the Almighty dressed in royal robes and a crown. Christ’s right hand is raised in blessing, while the left hand holds an open book. The bride’s crown depicted the Virgin Mary, who also wears royal robes and a crown.
The image of Mary is turned in prayer towards the image of Jesus on the groom’s wedding crown. The images of Christ and the Virgin symbolise the celestial union of Christ and the Church and bless the union of the bride and groom.