Mosaics to convey work, life of King Rama V

Wat Ratchabophit will have 12 mosaic pictures made that will feature the life and work of King Rama V and the temple's history.

The artworks -- which will be made in Italy -- will adorn the walls of the temple's ordination hall, or ubosot, in accordance with the wishes of King Rama V and King Rama VII.

The mosaics are part of a renovation project at the temple which celebrated its 150th anniversary on Jan 22, 2020.

The renovation project is under the patronage of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great, with His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua being the honorary president of the project.

Wat Ratchabophit was built from 1869-70 on the order of King Rama V as the symbolic temple of his reign. The monarch planned to decorate the walls of the ubosot with mosaics featuring his life and work.

King Rama VII intended to carry out his father's wishes, but due to budget constraints, the project was put on hold.

To commemorate the 150th anniversary, His Holiness the Supreme Patriarch set up a committee to carry out the kings' wishes under the supervision of the Fine Art Department and with cooperation from the Foreign Ministry.

Once completed, the mosaics will be put up on the walls of the ubosot between the windows, as originally planned by King Rama V and King Rama VII. His Holiness the Supreme Patriarch on Monday presided over the signing of the contract to make the mosaics between the temple and Travisanutto Mosaics SRL. The contract signing was witnessed by the Italian ambassador to Thailand and a representative from the Foreign Ministry.