Revamping the Basilica of San Vitale: a lighting restoration for a UNESCO World Heritage site

02/09/2025

Revamping the Basilica of San Vitale: a lighting restoration for a UNESCO World Heritage site

A masterpiece of early Christian art and a treasure trove of breathtakingly beautiful mosaics, the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, stands as one of the most captivating places in the Italian cultural landscape.

For centuries, natural light wove a dialogue with the space, enhancing the sacredness of the site and the complex symbolism adorning every surface. As conservation and perceptual needs evolved, an internal lighting system renovation became essential. DZ Engineering‘s intervention masterfully combined the fundamental principles of lighting for places of worship with the need to enhance the cultural heritage and ensure optimal visual comfort.

Tradition and technology: illuminating artistic treasures

The UNI 10829:1999 standard defines the methodology for measuring environmental conditions, from temperature to illumination, to protect works of art and historical assets. This regulation extends beyond simple measurement, analysing the exposure of artworks to both natural and artificial light, and reminding us that electromagnetic radiation can pose an invisible threat to sensitive materials. It is an essential guide for balancing the need to showcase this artistic heritage with the imperative to preserve it from decay.

The revamping of the Basilica of San Vitale demonstrates the delicate balance between enhancement and preservation. DZE’s lighting choices combined technical precision with artistic sensitivity to highlight the beauty of the mosaics and architecture without compromising their historical integrity.

The adoption of high-quality LED sources created a consistent and cohesive illumination, minimising colour differences between fixtures through the binning process.

A crucial part of the project was to highlight the Basilica’s dominant tones. Using wide-spectrum LEDs, the DZE team achieved the desired colour rendering to accentuate the mosaics’ vibrant palette of colours and the delicate pastel hues of the apse decorations. The selection of a colour temperature for the sources, ranging between 3000 and 4000 Kelvin, made it possible to prioritise the overall impact of the artwork.

Geometries of light: tailored illumination

The selection and arrangement of light fixtures were meticulously planned to enhance the Basilica’s art and architecture. By preserving the existing distribution system and the original positioning of light sources, this approach ensures the full conservation of the interiors as they were meant to be perceived. The lighting requalification project involved distinct and tailored lighting choices for the various spaces within the Basilica.

Within the ambulacrum, light delicately bathes the space thanks to predominantly indirect illumination from adjustable LED sources, which highlights the alabaster windows and capitals, while a more direct illumination guides the entrance through the portals. In the narthex, the old structures have been replaced with more discreet and efficient linear solutions with four projectors, ensuring aesthetic and functional continuity with the adjacent areas. In the matroneum, a completely concealed lighting system from the floor was chosen to enhance the beauty of the frescoes and architecture without visual interference, complemented by adjustable lights that sculpt and shape the light on the arches and semi-vaults. The dome is lit up by four projectors with adjustable optics, while a direct and dynamic lighting system illuminates the Sacred Hall. Finally, in the presbytery, the lighting fixtures were placed both at the base of the three-light window and on stands and concentrated the light beams on the mosaics, on the altar and on the seat. The 4000K FullSpectrum LED projectors accurately render colours and details, offering functional and consistent lighting.

Flexible management by DZ Engineering

The entire lighting system is controlled by an intelligent technology that enables precise management of every single light fixture. All luminaires are equipped with DALI power supplies, allowing for individual source identification, brightness adjustment, and the creation of custom scenarios without altering the pre-existing electrical infrastructure. Thanks to the integration of a system based on the KNX protocol, lighting control is swift and intuitive, accessible via dedicated keypads or tablets. This flexibility allows the Basilica’s atmosphere to be adapted for various functions, from liturgical to artistic.

DZ Engineering’s know-how and meticulous attention to detail once again demonstrate that light is not merely functional, but an integral part of the experience itself.