St Lucia Church

Designed in the early 1950s by Federico Rota, an engineer from Bergamo, in the style of the 1930/40s, the church stands majestic and slightly raised above street level. The architectural design involved opening the roof lantern of the central dome in order to diffuse daylight over the frescos and cast zenithal light onto the congregation. The idea of having a single suspended fixture to light up the entire space, congregation and side chapels, led to the design of a central cluster, positioned on the axis of the roof lantern. It is a large, mirrored and contrasting element. A cone-shaped 3.2 m high stainless steel frame holds a large circle 6.6 m in diameter which is divided into 8 segments slightly bent upwards to absorb sound. A smaller circle 1.42 m in diameter is inscribed within the first circle and houses the lighting fixtures. Fixed or adjustable IRC halogen bulbs with beams of 38° and 10° illuminate the congregation and the church’s architectural elements with direct lighting. Projector lamps fitted with metal halide bulbs and asymmetrical optics are positioned on the extrados of the upper cone and light up the ornate dome. This is a lighting appliance that keeps the architectural spaces completely free from visual obstructions.