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The walls, which are extensively decorated with mosaics on a gilded background, are the main attraction here. (The mosaics contain around 2,200 kilos of pure gold.) Executed at the end of the 12th century & beginning of the 13th century, they are the work of Byzantine & Venetian craftsmen. There are 130 individual mosaic scenes depicting scenes from the bible & the major events in the life of Jesus, from birth to crucifixion. The mosaics cover over 6000 square meters of the church’s interior, an area larger than the mosaics in Saint Mark’s church in Venice. This cathedral has one of the world's largest displays of this art, surpassed only by Istanbul's Basilica of Saint Sofia which was once an Orthodox church.
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Western Europe
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