The day you walk into a new home has a flavor all its own: boxes everywhere, bare walls, the echo of empty rooms. Then the furniture finds its place and one question remains, maybe the best of all: what do we hang first? For many Catholic families the answer hasn’t changed in generations. A cross, an image of Our Lady, something that tells everyone who walks in whose home this is.
That’s why a religious gift is among the most welcome for anyone who has just moved, whether a young couple, a growing family or a friend starting out alone. It takes up little room, you see it every day, and it’s there for the blessing of the rooms, when the priest comes to pray with the family.
We’ve chosen ten ideas in two groups: first crosses and crucifixes, then sacred images, statues and candles to build a prayer corner. You’ll find more ideas in our Gifts for the Home collection.
Crosses and Crucifixes: The Heart of the Home
The cross is almost always the first sacred object to find a place in a new home. It stands on a table or hangs in the living room or above the bed, watching over the life of the people who live there. Here are four different ways to keep one close.
Standing Olive Wood Good Shepherd Cross with Metal Plaque
“I am the good shepherd,” says Jesus in the Gospel of John, and from the earliest centuries Christians have pictured him just that way: a shepherd with a lamb on his shoulders, as in the paintings of the Roman catacombs. It’s an image of care that Pope Francis brought back to the center of his ministry.
This small standing cross is made of olive wood, the tree of peace and of the Garden of Gethsemane, with a metal plaque that recalls the Good Shepherd. It comes in three sizes, from 2.5 to 5 inches (6.5 to 13 cm).
Why you’ll love it: it’s simple, quiet and full of meaning. On a nightstand or on the desk of a new home office it’s a discreet sign of faith that suits everyone, from a coworker to the neighbor next door.
Standing Olive Wood Risen Christ Crucifix with Via Crucis and Resurrection Scene
The Via Crucis, or Way of the Cross, is the prayer in which Christians retrace Jesus’s journey to Calvary, station by station. It began in Jerusalem, following the footsteps of pilgrims, and it is the best-loved devotion of Lent.
This 5-inch (13 cm) olive wood crucifix gathers it all in one piece, and the Resurrection scene completes the story: you begin in sorrow and end in light, just as Easter teaches. The closer you look, the more details you find.
Why you’ll love it: it’s a small story to keep on the living room table or in a prayer corner. We love it because it invites you to pause and pray, especially in the evening.
Olive Wood St. Benedict Crucifix with Metal Outline
St. Benedict of Nursia, who lived between the 5th and 6th centuries, is the father of Western monasticism. He founded Montecassino and wrote a Rule summed up in the motto “Ora et labora”: pray and work. Pope Paul VI named him patron of Europe in 1964.
His cross, which popular devotion has long associated with protection from evil, is made here in olive wood with a metal outline that highlights its lines. It comes in two sizes, 5 and 7.5 inches (13 and 19 cm).
Why you’ll love it: it joins an ancient story to a very concrete gesture: asking for protection on your home. It’s the perfect gift for anyone who loves tradition and is starting a new chapter.
Green and Gold Murano Glass Crucifix with White Resin Corpus Modern Style
For more than seven centuries, the furnaces of Murano, in the Venetian lagoon, have turned sand into color and light. Every piece is handmade, with a shade that never repeats.
Here the green glass, crossed by golden reflections, catches the light of the room, while the white resin corpus stays simple and clearly visible. It’s modern without losing any of its solemnity. It hangs on the wall and comes in two sizes, 6.3 and 8.3 inches (16 and 21 cm).
Why you’ll love it: it looks like no other crucifix. We love it because it suits a contemporary home and becomes the focal point of the main wall.
Sacred Images, Statues and Candles: The Prayer Corner
In many homes, next to the cross, there is a corner for Our Lady or the Holy Family, where a light is lit and a prayer is said. Here are six ideas to create one.
Candle with the Holy Family
In the Christian tradition, light is a sign of Christ, the “light of the world,” which is why the candle has always accompanied the most important moments, from Baptism to the Easter Vigil. At home, it’s a simple way of saying, “here we pray.”
This one is made of wax and bears the image of the Holy Family, with a prayer on the back in Italian, English and Spanish. It comes in two sizes, 1.6 x 3.1 and 2 x 3.9 inches (4 x 8 and 5 x 10 cm), with a personal message available on request.
Why you’ll love it: it’s a small gift that says a lot. Bring it to the housewarming party, then light it on the evening the house is blessed.
Resin Statue of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
It all begins in Paris in 1830, in the chapel of the Daughters of Charity on the Rue du Bac, where Saint Catherine Labouré said she saw Our Lady. From that apparition came the Miraculous Medal, still one of the most widely worn by the faithful.
The resin statue brings the same image into your home: the Virgin with open hands, from which graces flow for those who ask. It stands 7.9 or 11.8 inches (20 or 30 cm) tall and can be personalized with a message.
Why you’ll love it: it has real presence. It’s the perfect gift for parents, or for anyone with a special devotion to Our Lady who wants her well in view in the new home.
Wooden Triptych with Holy Family and Angels
The triptych is an ancient form of sacred art, born as a small altar for travel and for prayer at home: a devotion you can take anywhere.
This wooden one, 4.7 x 3.9 inches (12 x 10 cm), shows the Holy Family surrounded by angels. Mary, Joseph and the Child, in the quiet of Nazareth, are the image closest to a home that is just beginning.
Why you’ll love it: it’s small, beautiful and right for any room. We love it because it’s easy to give and easy to ship, and because the Holy Family is the ideal protection for those starting out.
Wooden Triptych with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Angels
Devotion to the Sacred Heart began in the 1600s in Paray-le-Monial, France, with the visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. The heart of Jesus, wrapped in flames and circled by thorns, is the sign of God’s love for every person, and for generations many families have kept this image at home.
The triptych has the same format as the previous one, 4.7 x 3.9 inches (12 x 10 cm), in wood, with the Sacred Heart accompanied by angels.
Why you’ll love it: it recalls a lovely, ancient habit. The two triptychs go well together and can be given as a pair to a couple furnishing their first home.
Wooden Painting with Red Frame of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
The icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Byzantine in origin, is venerated in Rome in the Church of St. Alphonsus on the Esquiline Hill. The scene is full of tenderness: the Child, frightened by the angels showing him the instruments of the Passion, clings to his mother as a sandal slips from his foot. It’s the image of anyone who, in fear, finds refuge.
This wooden painting has a red frame that sets off the image and measures 5.7 x 8.3 inches (14.5 x 21 cm).
Why you’ll love it: it adds color to a wall and protection to a home. It’s the perfect gift for an entryway or beside a bed, and for anyone with a special devotion to Our Lady.
Wooden Icon with Golden Frame of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
In Eastern icons, gold is the light of heaven, the place where the saints live. That’s why the golden frame on this version of Perpetual Help is not just beautiful, but true to the spirit of the original.
The icon is wood, measures 5.1 x 3.9 inches (13 x 10 cm) and is hand-finished with natural beeswax, which gives it a warm look. It has the charm of an antique icon, in a size that fits on any shelf.
Why you’ll love it: it’s a precious object, made to last. It’s the perfect gift for anyone who wants to give something that stays for years and, one day, passes to the children.
How to Choose the Right Gift
Before you choose, a look at who is receiving the gift can help:
- A newlywed couple or young family: a standing cross, or the Holy Family triptych.
- A home with a modern look: the green and gold Murano glass crucifix.
- Someone who loves tradition: the St. Benedict crucifix or the Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
- A small, discreet gift: the Holy Family candle or the Good Shepherd cross.
- A gift that really makes an impression: the Miraculous Medal statue or the icon with the golden frame.
Why Choose Mondo Cattolico?
Choosing a gift for a new home is a bit like choosing the first picture to hang: nobody wants to get it wrong, because everyone will see it, every day. We’ve been working since 1952 a few steps from St. Peter’s Square, and we know the difference between an object you buy out of duty and one a family truly wants to keep at home.
Every item you find here is made in Italy, from the first idea to the finished product, and comes in a gift box ready to give. If something isn’t right, there’s a 30-day exchange or refund guarantee on online purchases: just write to our customer service, available in several languages. We ship worldwide with express couriers.
If you can’t decide, book a video chat with someone from our store: they’ll show you crosses, icons and statues up close, in the sizes you’re interested in.
And if you’d like to give the gift something extra, we can take it out to St. Peter’s Square during the Sunday Angelus and photograph it at no extra cost, at the moment the Pope gives the apostolic blessing. The photo arrives with your order, and whoever receives the gift will find it alongside the first blessing of the new home.
Browse our whole selection of Gifts for the Home and choose the one that will accompany the new life of someone you love.