Each devotion has its own technique
Our Lady of Perpetual Help calls for a gold ground and Byzantine drawing – flat, firmly outlined, with Greek inscriptions. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the opposite: soft tonal transitions, a radiant mandorla, a flowered mantle. The Immaculate Conception asks for blue and light. We fit the technique to the devotion rather than the other way round, which is why our Marian mosaics never look like enlarged prints.
The face is the hardest part
In a Marian mosaic everything is decided in the face and the hands. A single face usually takes several dozen shades, from cool half-tones to warm highlights on the cheeks. We hold over 3000 shades of glass and smalti, so we never reduce skin to three tones. That is why Mary’s face in our work lives with the changing light of the church instead of turning into a mask.
Gold tesserae and blue
A ground of gold smalti – the same material used in the basilicas of Ravenna – keeps the image readable in half-light and at dusk. We set the gold pieces at a slight angle so they catch the light unevenly and the ground breathes. Mary’s mantle is usually laid in Venetian glass in a dozen shades of blue, from deep navy to azure.
Interior, facade, wayside shrine
A Marian mosaic is not afraid of weather. We make images for church facades, Lourdes grottoes, wayside shrines and gable walls – the material is frost-proof, waterproof and UV-resistant, and the colours do not fade for decades. Indoors we most often carry out side altars, Marian chapels and niches by the entrance.
Price and lead time
A mosaic costs from 4,000 to 15,000 PLN per m². The price depends on the complexity, the number of faces and figures in the composition and the materials used – gold tesserae raise the cost, plain ornament lowers it. The estimate is free once we have the dimensions of the site and a photo of the interior. A design and a visualisation in your interior are available on request as a paid additional service.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a mosaic of the Virgin Mary cost?
A mosaic costs from 4,000 to 15,000 PLN per m². A Marian image with a face, hands and a gold ground usually sits in the upper part of that range because it takes the most handwork. We prepare an exact estimate free of charge – send us the dimensions of the wall or niche and a photo of the site.
Which devotions do you make?
Most often Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Częstochowa, Guadalupe, the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Sorrows, the Assumption, Mater Ecclesiae, Fátima and Lourdes. We will also make a local devotion or a copy of a painting from your church.
Can you work from our own painting?
Yes. Send us a good photograph taken in daylight. The mosaic will keep the composition and the colouring, and we adapt the drawing to mosaic technique and to the size of the wall. This is a common way to make a lasting copy of a painting that is deteriorating.
Is a Marian mosaic suitable for a facade?
Yes. We make Marian images for facades, grottoes and shrines. We use frost-resistant smalti and glass, the colours do not fade in the sun, and the mosaic is not troubled by rain or snow. A gold smalti ground looks particularly good outdoors.
What size should we choose?
It depends on the distance from which the image will be seen. A side altar is usually well served by 100 × 150 cm; for a facade we suggest more. Tell us the space available and the mounting height and we will propose proportions and show them in a visualisation.
How long does it take?
A mosaic measuring 100 × 300 cm takes about 1.5–3 months including installation. An image with a face often takes longer because skin tones are laid more slowly. We confirm the exact lead time with the estimate.