Sacred Incense from Prinknash Abbey: A Tradition of Divine Craftsmanship

For generations, incense has occupied a central place in Christian worship, used to sanctify sacred space, accompany prayer, honor the saints, and mark the presence of the divine. The Benedictine community at Prinknash Abbey in Gloucestershire, England, has been producing traditional church incense since the early 20th century, using frankincense, aromatic oils, and other resins to create the distinctive fragrances associated with the Catholic altar.

Church incense has also found a natural place in folk magic and conjure. For practitioners, these traditional formulations can be used to cleanse a working space, prepare an altar, accompany prayer and petition, consecrate objects, honor the dead, and create an atmosphere suitable for spiritual work.

We currently offer three Prinknash Abbey blends:

Abbey Incense

The Everyday Church Incense

A classic church-style incense built around frankincense and aromatic oils. Warm, sweet, resinous, and unmistakably ecclesiastical, Abbey is an excellent all-purpose incense for devotional work.

Use it for general cleansing, prayer, meditation, altar work, offerings, and establishing a sacred atmosphere before spiritual or magical work.

Saint Michael Incense

The Guardian's Incense

A traditional devotional blend associated with Saint Michael the Archangel, combining frankincense with myrrh and other aromatic materials.

Saint Michael's incense is particularly suited to workings for protection, spiritual defense, banishing, courage, and overcoming opposition. Burn it before an image of Saint Michael, alongside a devotional candle, or as part of a protective working.

Basilica Incense

The High Altar Incense

A richer and more elaborate church incense composed of frankincense, aromatic oils, and additional resins. Basilica has the deep, complex character associated with incense burning in a great church or basilica.

Its use is well suited to more formal devotional work, consecration, offerings, prayer, and ceremonies where a particularly rich sacred atmosphere is desired. It is equally at home on the altar of a folk practitioner working within a Christian magical tradition.

Using Church Incense in Folk Magic

Place a small amount of incense on a lit charcoal tablet in a suitable heat-resistant burner. Allow the smoke to fill the working space before beginning prayer, petition, conjure, or ritual work.

Church incense can be used to cleanse and prepare a space, dress an altar, carry prayers and petitions, honor saints and ancestors, consecrate tools and objects, or accompany devotional and magical workings. In Hoodoo, Catholic folk magic, and other traditions where Christian devotion and practical magic meet, incense can be one of the simplest ways to establish the proper spiritual atmosphere for the work at hand.

Each tin contains 28 grams of incense.

For devotional, spiritual, folk-magic, and conjure use.