What is the Holy Myron (Chrismation) in the Coptic Church?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

In the Coptic Church, Chrismation is the sacrament of anointing the baptized with holy oil, also known as the Chrism or the Holy Myron. Practiced only once in a believer’s life, it occurs immediately after baptism. As explained in A-Practical-Guide-For-Becoming-Orthodox, whereas baptism provides atonement for the original sin, Chrismation is administered so that believers receive the Holy Spirit within them and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of the living God. Underscoring its necessity, St. Cyprianus stated: “Whoever is baptized should be anointed by myron, to become the anointed for God, and so is granted the grace of the Holy Spirit.”

Chrismation serves as the equivalent of the apostles’ laying of hands on believers, referencing the biblical account: “Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:17). As the church grew, it was not plausible for the apostles or bishops to physically lay hands on every person baptized. Consequently, the chrism was prepared so that priests could perform the sacrament and grant the Holy Spirit without a bishop's physical presence. Even though bishops possess the authority to impart the Holy Spirit by laying on hands, they still opt to use the chrism to avoid confusing the congregation. In practicing this rite, the priest anoints the baptized in 36 places, including the senses and several joints.

According to A-Practical-Guide-For-Becoming-Orthodox, the sacred oil traces its origins to Exodus (30:22-32), when God commanded Moses to prepare an anointing oil of myrrh, cinnamon, cassia, and sweet calamus blended with pure olive oil. Furthermore, the chrism originally came from the spices and fragrances that anointed the body of Christ following His burial.

As recorded in epdf.pub the coptic papacy in islamic egypt 641 1517, historical manuscripts known as the Book of the Chrism (or of the Holy Myron) describe the preparation of this aromatic oil. Its production requires a sequence of cooking sessions or "coctions" spanning several days, blending fine olive oil and previous chrism with twenty to thirty aromatic ingredients, including balsam ("balm of Gilead") from trees in the garden of the Virgin at Matariyyah.

Sources: A-Practical-Guide-For-Becoming-Orthodox; epdf.pub the coptic papacy in islamic egypt 641 1517