Late Antique, Early Christian, and Medieval mosaics in Europe and the Middle East were created from the 4th to the 15th centuries, mostly in Christian countries.
List includes large and important mosaic pavements and wall coverings from churches and civic buildings (palaces, baths, or villas) and their current or former locations.The list was based on an appendix in the book: James, Liz. Mosaics in the Medieval World, From Late Antiquity to the Fifteenth Century. Cambridge University press, 2017. Pp. 466—475. This list does not include regular geometric floors or small fragments of figurative mosaics in museum collections. The list also includes Islamic buildings whose ornamental mosaics were made by visiting Byzantine masters or were clearly influenced by Byzantine style and technology.
Mosaics are divided into two main types: the older Roman version of opus tessellatum, used primarily for floor mosaics (at least until the 12th century), and, in parallel, the classic Byzantine method with gold smalt, invented by at least the 4th century AD. In the 12th century, the Cosmatesque style emerged in Italy, based on the existing Byzantine technique of inlaid floors (developed from Roman opus sectile). The Cosmatesque was used for floors and for the decorative ornamentation of walls, tombs, marble pulpits, and so on. The ancient Romans also knew the pietre dure method, but it was rarely used before the Renaissance.
In the first centuries, pagan, antique, geometric, and animalistic themes coexisted in parallel; then Christian ones joined them, eventually displacing them completely.
See also: Late Antique and medieval mosaics in Italy, Early Byzantine mosaics in the Middle East.
4th century
Algeria El-Asnam / Chlef, Basilica of San Reparatus — first known floor church labyrinth Djémila Museum, «Great Hunt Mosaic», from the banqueting hall in the House of Bacchus, , + other big mosaics in this museum Sétif Museum, «Triumph of Dionysos mosaic», + other big mosaics in this museum Triumph of Neptune and Amphitrite (Louvre, Ma 1880), from Ancient Cirta, today Constantine, Algeria
Cyprus, Paphos House of Aion, Paphos Archaeological Park House of Theseus, Paphos Archaeological Park
Georgia Shukhuti (Guria), Shukhuti mosaic
Greece Amphipolis, Basilica D, (4th–7th)
Thessaloniki, Martyrium (Hagios Demetrios?) Thessaloniki, The Rotunda (Church of St George)
Italy Aquileia, Baths (Grandi Terme) Aquileia, Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, (Basilica Patriarcale) — mosaic floor, signature of Petrus. Florence, Floor mosaics of Santa Reparata, Santa Maria del Fiore (4th–5th century)https://duomo.firenze.it/en/discover/crypt-of-santa-reparata/8999/arte-paleocristiana-pavimento-a-mosaico Milan, Basilica of San Lorenzo, Chapel of S. Aquilino (it) Milan, Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio — mosaic of the lamb Naples, Baptistery of San Giovanni in Fonte (4th–5th century) Rome, Catacombs of Domitilla — are mentioned mosaic of the raising of Lazarus, the three Hebrews in the Fiery Furnace and Christ enthroned between Peter and Paulhttps://medievalmosaics.com/mosaics/31 Rome, Church of Santa Costanza (Mausoleum of Constantina), (340—345) Rome, Via Livenza Hypogeum (nymphaeum), Rome — fragment of mosaic appearing to show St Peter striking water from a rock.https://medievalmosaics.com/mosaics/35 Rome, Opus sectile mosaics from the Basilica of Junius Bassus, now in Palazzo Massimo alle Terme Piazza Armerina (Sicily), Villa Romana del Casale
Levant and North Africa Al-Eizariya, Bethany (Palestine), Church of Saint Lazarus (4th–5th) Gaza Strip, Palestine, «Bureij mosaic» (between AD 390 and 634—636) — possibly destroyed Jewish mosaics: Tiberias (Israel), Hammat Tiberias synagogue floors Tel Megiddo (Israel), Megiddo church (Israel) (230 — before 304) — floors Umm al-Surab (Jordan), Church of SS. Sergios and Backhos, (4th–5th) «Asarotos oikos» mosaic from Lebanon, now in Château de Boudry, Switzerland «Dominus Julius mosaic» in the Bardo National Museum, Tunis «Daniel in the lions' den mosaic» in the Bardo National Museum «Lod Mosaic», now in Shelby White and Leon Levy Lod Mosaic Archaeological Center (Israel)
Serbia Felix Romuliana (Gamzigrad), Mausolea of Galerius and of Romula
Spain Centcelles (Taragona), Roman villa of Centcelles Mosaics from Complutum, Museo Arqueológico y Paleontológico de la Comunidad de Madrid
Turkey Istanbul, Mosaics of the Great Palace of Constantinople, Great Palace Mosaic Museum (4th–6th) Istanbul, «Dionysus mosaic, Samatya» Misis, Adana, «Noah’s Ark mosaic» floor, now in Misis Mosaic Museum Trabzon, Church of Theotokos Chrysokephalos / Fatih Mosque — floorhttps://www.dailysabah.com/history/2017/11/27/mosaics-on-mosque-floor-revealed «Seasons mosaics» (Louvre, Ma 3444). Found in Daphne (now Antakya, Turkey).
5th century
Greece Analipsi on Astypalaia, mosaic in Maltezana. Christ Pantokrator is portrayed as Helios middle of the zodiac. Zodiac is surrounded by waves Oсean and the seasons. Nikopolis, Epiros, Basilica B (5th–6th) Philippi, Octagonal church complex (5th–6th)https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=84804 Thessaloniki, Church of the Acheiropoietos — Arches in colonnades and in south gallery and narthex vaults; tribelon and west wall window.https://www.sussex.ac.uk/byzantine/mosaic/view/structure/id/70 Thessaloniki, Hagios Demetrios — some 5th century fragments: Saint Demetrius with a youth being brought to him (Demetrius is depicted in the pose of an orant, his palms are covered with gold smalt), Saint Demetrius and two angels Thessaloniki, Church of Hosios David (Moni Latomou / Monastery of Latomos) — Mosaic of Christ of Latomos (5th–7th) Thessaloniki , Galerian Complex, Arched Hall / Apsidal Hall (Hall in Gounares Street) (5th–6th)
Italy Casaranello, Santa Maria della Croce (Chiesa di Santa Maria della Croce) Cimitile, Church of S. Felice of Nola (:it:Basiliche paleocristiane di Cimitile) (5th–6th) Lucera, San Giusto di Lucerahttps://www.visitmontidauni.it/en/pd/mosaici-di-san-giusto-di-lucera
Milan, Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio, Chapel San Vittore in ciel d’oro (it), (4–5th century) Naples, Catacombs of Saint Gaudiosus Naples, Catacombs of San Gennaro, portraits of bishops in Bishops' crypt San Prisco (ancient Capua), Chapel of Santa Matrona, Chiesa di Santa Croce e San Prisco (5th–6th)
Ravenna Basilica di Sant’Agata Maggiore (it) (5th–6th) — fragments at windowshttps://www.sussex.ac.uk/byzantine/mosaic/view/structure/id/362 Archbishop's Chapel (5th–6th) Baptistery of Neon or Orthodox Baptistery Mausoleum of Galla Placidia
Rome Church of Santa Pudenziana (402—417) Lateran Baptistery (S. Giovanni in Fonte), Chapel of SS. Cyprian and Justina (or SS. Secunda and Rufina) Lateran Baptistery (S. Giovanni in Fonte), Chapel of St John the Evangelist Church of Santa Maria Maggiore — triumphal arch and neuve mosaic. See one of them «The Parting of Lot and Abraham». Church of San Paolo fuori le mura Church of Santa Sabina
Levant Hawarte / Huarte, Apameia (Siria), Basilica A, or the so-called Michaelion and Basilica B, or the so-called Basilica of Archbishop Photios — mosaics with Adam and unicorn, early iconographyhttps://portal.sds.ox.ac.uk/articles/online_resource/E01624_Floor-mosaics_with_Greek_inscriptions_from_the_sanctuary_Michaelion_of_Michael_the_Archangel_S00181_at_arte_Hawarte_near_ancient_Apamea_on_the_Orontes_central_Syria_Dated_probably_487_/13808903http://openbibart.fr/vibad/index.php?action=getRecordDetail&idt=oba_1137323 Tabgha (Galilee, Israel), Church of the Multiplication — earliest known examples of figurative floor mosaics in Christian art in the Holy Land. Taybat al-Imam (Syria), Church of the Holy Martyrs (442) — floor map mosaic Petra (Jordan), Byzantine Church — floor mosaic Mosaique de Qabr Hiram (from Tomb of Hiram, Lebanon) now in Louvre
North Macedonia Ohrid, Plaošnik Basilica (:bg:Плаошнишка поликонхална църква)- floor mosaic Stobi (Gradsko), Stobi Palace — floor mosaic
Tunis Ecclesia Mater mosaic in the Bardo National Museum
Turkey Antakya, «Yakto mosaic» / Megalopsychia Hunt of Antioch mosaics (Antakya Archaeological Museum) Hanyıkığı / Kelenderis, Aydıncık mosaic / Mosaic of Kelenderis — map mosaic (5–6th centuries) Klarjeti (former Georgia), Akhiza Cathedral (ru) (5th–6th). In 1913, A. Florensky, on a mission from the Caucasus Museum, visited the monastery ruins. According to his information, the altar of one of the churches contained a mosaic image of the Virgin Mary, almost completely destroyed. Florensky reported that a local jeweler named Usta-Gekork had removed the mosaic for sale abroad. Some fragments of the local mosaic are reportedly in museums, but no specific details are available. Istanbul, Church of St John of Stoudios, Monastery of Stoudios — now in ruins, some fragments of mosaics may survivedhttps://medievalmosaics.com/mosaics/66
6th century
Croatia Poreč, Euphrasian Basilica Pula, Church of Santa Maria del Canneto (Maria Formosa)- ruins, fragments in museums
Cyprus Kiti, Church of Panagia tis Angeloktistis Livadia (Northern Cyprus), Church of Panagia Kyra (:el:Παναγία Κυρά (Λιβάδια) — photos exists, in the 21st century not survivedhttps://medievalmosaics.com/mosaics/74 (possibly stolen) Lythrangomi, Church of Panagia Kanakaria (:el:Παναγία Κανακαριά) — some mosaics were stolen and sold in 1970s, now in private collections and museums, several were returned.
Georgia near Mtskheta, Kartli Province, Jvari Monastery — the conch was covered in mosaic, but only a fragment remains Mtskheta, Minor Church of the Holy Cross — old descriptions hold information about presence of mosaics. According to Giorgi Chubinashvili, in 1916, when he visited the church, gold pebbles had survived in the «north corner of the conch, on the face of the arch of the conch»; notches intended for holding the destroyed mosaic composition on the wall were still visible on two stones in the north section of the conch (surface of the rest of the stones in the conch had already been badly damaged and weathered by the time). According to the same account, in 1914, the smalt pebbles scattered in the interior were sent over to the Tbilisi Museum of Historical-Ethnographic Society by the local monk Ilarion (case N1649). The pebbles brought from the church of the Holy Cross are additional material evidence to the fact that the minor church of the Holy Cross in Mtskheta was once ornamented with mosaics.https://yandexwebcache.net/yandbtm?fmode=inject&tm=1777546068&tld=ru&lang=en&la=1768834432&text=mosaic+site%3Ahttps%3A//arthistory.tsu.ge/&url=https%3A//arthistory.tsu.ge/murals/painting/mtskheta-mosaic-of-the-minor-church-of-holy-cross/&l10n=ru&mime=html&sign=99065e63e39fa55baf1301122fd3c0d4&keyno=0
Greece, Thessaloniki Hagios Demetrios — some fragments of 6th century Pammegistoi Taxiarches Church — floor
Italy Albenga, Albenga Baptistery Grado, Basilica of Sant’Eufemia- floor Padua, Basilica of Santa Giustina, chapel Sacello di San Prosdocimo (Shrine of St. Prosdocimus)https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257154891_The_palaeo-Christian_glass_mosaic_of_St_Prosdocimus_Padova_Italy_Archaeometric_characterisation_of_tesserae_with_copper-_or_tin-based_opacifiers Vicenza, Basilica of Saints Felix and Fortunatus, Chapel of S. Maria Mater Domini — mosaic floor
Ravenna Archbishop’s Palace — random fragments on display (Archiepiscopal Museum, Ravenna)https://medievalmosaics.com/mosaics/60 Arian Baptistery (c. 500) Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe (549) Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo (c. 500) Church of San Michele in Africisco (:it:Chiesa di San Michele in Africisco) — main mosaic is now in Bode Museum, Berlin, fragments are in various museums Basilica of San Severo, Classe (:it:Basilica di San Severo) — demolished, mosaic floors founded. Basilica of San Vitale (548) — walls plus oldest church labyrinth floor in Europe