Mosaic

====Orthodox countries====
[[File:Alexander Nevsky Cathedral Tallinn.jpg|thumb|Mosaic on the pediment of the [[Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn|Alexander Nevsky Cathedral]] in [[Tallinn]], [[Estonia]]]]
[[File:Michael of salonica.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Early 12th-century [[Kyiv]]an mosaic depicting [[St. Demetrius]].]]

The craft has also been popular in early medieval [[Rus' (people)|Rus]], inherited as part of the Byzantine tradition. [[Yaroslav I the Wise|Yaroslav]], the Grand Prince of the [[Kievan Rus']] built a large cathedral in his capital, [[Kyiv]]. The model of the church was the [[Hagia Sophia]] in [[Constantinople]], and it was also called [[Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv|Saint Sophia Cathedral]]. It was built mainly by Byzantine master craftsmen, sent by [[Constantine IX Monomachos|Constantine Monomachos]], between 1037 and 1046. Naturally the more important surfaces in the interior were decorated with golden mosaics. In the dome we can see the traditional stern [[Christ Pantocrator|Pantokrator]] supported by angels. Between the 12 windows of the drum were apostles and the four evangelists on the pendentives. The apse is dominated by an orant [[Theotokos]] with a [[Deesis]] in three medallions above. Below is a Communion of the Apostles.

Prince [[Sviatopolk II of Kiev|Sviatopolk II]] built [[St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery]] in [[Kyiv]] in 1108. The mosaics of the church are undoubtedly works of Byzantine artists. Although the church was destroyed by Soviet authorities, majority of the panels were preserved. Small parts of ornamental mosaic decoration from the 12th century survived in the [[Saint Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod]] but this church was largely decorated with frescoes.

Using mosaics and frescoes in the same building was a unique practice in Ukraine. Harmony was achieved by using the same dominant colors in mosaic and fresco. Both Saint Sophia Cathedral and Saint Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv use this technique.<ref name="Internet encyclopedia of Ukraine">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/Art.asp|title=The art of fresco painting in Ukraine|encyclopedia=Internet encyclopedia of Ukraine|access-date=24 June 2014}}</ref> Mosaics stopped being used for church decoration as early as the 12th century in the eastern Slavic countries. Later Russian churches were decorated with frescoes, similarly then orthodox churches in the Balkan.

[[File:Gelati conch mosaic.JPG|thumb|right|Apse mosaic "Glory of the Theotokos" in [[Gelati Monastery|Gelati]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]. {{Circa|1125}}–1130.]]
The apse mosaic of the [[Gelati Monastery]] is a rare example of mosaic use in [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]. Began by king [[David IV of Georgia|David IV]] and completed by his son [[Demetrius I of Georgia]], the fragmentary panel depicts Theotokos flanked by two archangels. The use of mosaic in Gelati attests to some Byzantine influence in the country and was a demonstration of the imperial ambition of the Bagrationids. The mosaic covered church could compete in magnificence with the churches of Constantinople. Gelati is one of few mosaic creations which survived in Georgia but fragments prove that the early churches of Pitsunda and Tsromi were also decorated with mosaic as well as other, lesser known sites. The destroyed 6th century mosaic floors in the [[Pitsunda Cathedral]] have been inspired by Roman prototypes. In [[Tsromi]] the tesserae are still visible on the walls of the 7th-century church but only faint lines hint at the original scheme. Its central figure was Christ standing and displaying a scroll with Georgian text.