CASA, BENEDIZIONE della. — The need to place one’s dwelling under the protection of the divinity led all peoples to establish special ceremonies for the construction of new houses or for the first entry into them.
Thus the Greeks placed their house under the protection of Ζεύς Ἐρχεῖος; the Romans under that of the Lares or Penates; the Jews, in turn, knew the blessing of a new house (Deut. 20:5). Jesus recommends that the Apostles bless houses when entering them (Mt. 10:12), establishing the formula: pax huic domui... Among the Fathers, St Athanasius (Epistula ad Marcellinum, 17: PG 27, 29) is the first to mention a special blessing of the house; the Rituale Graecorum (ed. J. Goar, Paris 1647, p. 604 ff.) contains one formula for the laying of the foundation stone, another for the inauguration of the new house, and a third for other blessings. In the Latin Church, the Gelasian (III, nos. 72-76; ed. H.-A. Wilson, Oxford 1894, pp. 283-88) contains four prayers (no. 72) to be recited by those entering a house (Orationes intrantibus in domo, sive benedictio), other prayers for a Mass to be celebrated therein (a very common medieval practice; cf. Franz, op. cit. in bibl., p. 606), the Orationes per venerates in domo, that is, on behalf of visitors, and finally other prayers for the blessing of water, also to be performed in the house. In the course of time, the Mass in domo nova became a simple blessing.
The Roman Ritual has three formularies for the blessing of houses: one for the day of the Epiphany, which is performed not only with holy water but also with incense; another for Holy Saturday, when baptismal water is used, taken from the font before the sacred chrism is mixed with it and which in ancient times was sprinkled not by the priest but by the devout people themselves in their houses, vineyards, and fields; today these two blessings of the house are reserved to the parish priest (CIC, can. 462, 6ª); the priest may use a third formulary wherever and whenever necessary.