Why the Guardian Angel in particular
It is one of the few subjects a child understands without explanation and an adult remembers from their own childhood. That is why a Guardian Angel altar works so well where families come: by the font, in a chapel, by a side entrance. The scene of the angel leading two children across a footbridge is classic iconography, familiar from first communion holy cards.
A side altar, not just an image
The photographs show the full commission: the mosaic image in an arch, a broad border of foliate ornament in gold smalti, a marble mensa on small columns, and the invocation ANGELE DEI ILLUMINA, CUSTODI, REGE ET GUBERNA laid in mosaic along the front. We take such a commission end to end – from the design of the whole, through the mosaic and the ornament, to the stonework and the installation.
The ornament is part of the work
The ornamental border around the image is not an extra; it is what ties the mosaic to the architecture of the interior and gives it scale. We design it for one particular wall: the width of the band, the rhythm of the motif and the proportion of gold to colour are chosen so that the altar does not look like a picture hung on a finished wall but like part of the church.
Single angels and decoration too
Besides the Guardian Angel we make adoring angels, angels at prayer, pairs of angels on vaults and in apses, and putti as a supporting motif in larger compositions. One of the photographs shows a pair of angels on a blue ground with gold stars – a typical solution for the vault above a sanctuary.
Price and how it runs
A mosaic costs from 4,000 to 15,000 PLN per m². The price depends on the complexity, the number of faces and figures and the materials; rich ornament and stonework are quoted separately. The commission covers measurement, a design agreed with the parish, hand-made execution in the workshop, transport and installation. The estimate is free.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Guardian Angel mosaic cost?
A mosaic costs from 4,000 to 15,000 PLN per m². A complete side altar with ornament and mensa is quoted individually, because besides the mosaic it includes stonework. The estimate is free.
Do you make the whole altar or only the image?
Both. We can make the mosaic image alone for an existing altar, or the whole thing: image, ornamental border, inscription and mensa.
Can the invocation be in English?
Yes. Most often we lay the Latin “Angele Dei, illumina, custodi, rege et guberna”, but an English or bilingual version is equally possible.
Where is the best place for a Guardian Angel?
Where families with children come: by the font, in a chapel, by a side entrance, in a catechesis room. What matters is that the image is at a child’s eye level, not high up under the vault.
Can you work from a holy card remembered from childhood?
Yes. Send a photograph or a reproduction – the mosaic will take over the composition and we will adapt it to the wall and to the technique.
How long does such a commission take?
It depends on the area and on whether ornament and stonework are included. We give a date with the estimate, after seeing the site or photographs.