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of this tradition.
Founded in 1017 or 1037 (still in dispute), the cathedral walls harmoniously combine two art forms — frescoes and mosaics. Many of the 11thcentury frescoes have been damaged and are faded, although parts of the original frescoes are still visible. All of the mosaics that survive are relics of the 11th century. The modern egg mosaic has a home next to an original mosaic by Byzantine artists.
Oksana Mas is the Ukrainian artist who created the egg portrait of Mary. Unveiled in January 2010, the 23by 23-foot montage is composed of 15,000 hand-painted wooden eggs and took nine months to complete. Titled “Look Into Eternity,” her original design is based on a 17thcentury icon of Mary.
Also in Kiev is Lavra, a monastery founded in 1051 to
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Visitors to Ukraine will see numerous individual eggs in museums and gift shops, but they should not miss the large mosaics. Mas is building a monumental egg mosaic of 12 panels and an astonishing 3.6 million eggs. Some panels are finished, but it will be four to six years before the entire soccer-field-size replica of the Ghent Altarpiece is
completed.