Basilica di Santo Stefano

the Basilica of Santo Stefano is one of the most famous, evocative, beloved and extraordinary places in the city of bologna. this unique place is also known as the Seven Churches. it is a monumental complex that took shape over the centuries, actually consisting of several churches joined together by other places of worship: the Church of the Crucifix, the Crypt, the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, the Church of Saints Vitale and Agricola, the Courtyard of Pilate, the Church of the Trinity, the Medieval Cloister, the museum and the church known as the Chapel of the Bandage. when you are invited to carry out work in a sacred and almost untouchable place like this, you have to do it with the utmost sensitivity. the lighting design made delicacy and discretion its guiding principles.

the design challenge also lay in the fact that there was a multiplicity of spaces to work in, each unique in its own way, with its own peculiarities and needs. the first space is the Church of the Crucifix. dating back to the 8th century, the building has undergone many transformations over the course of history, and the design of the artificial lighting took these into account. for the single nave, the light sources are n55 on binari trifase VbB, perfectly concealed between the wooden ceiling beams. when no services are taking place, only the n55 on the perimeter remain switched on, highlighting the works of art positioned along the edges of the space and on the walls. the presbytery area was added in the 17th century and was then extensively reworked at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. the large crucifix dating from 1380 is illuminated by n55, while n55 parete soffitto orientabile are integrated between the architectural cornices, and c sistema provides diffuse illumination on the large dome vault. at the sides of the altar, tracciapiù piantana speciale with dc01 decorative glass and trentotto spotlights provide an additional level of lighting for the lecterns and seating. in the 11th century crypt, given the limited ceiling height, only a few n55 elements were installed. in order to provide an additional source of illumination, a number of traccia terra with trentotto and ecomini spotlights were placed here. a backdrop of light that enhances the depth of the space is created by c sistema, positioned behind the altar.

moving on, one arrives at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre. according to tradition, Petronius, bishop of bologna in the first half of the fifth century, built on this site a replica of the grandiose basilica that emperor Constantine had built in jerusalem over the site of Christ’s crucifixion and burial. in roman times, this area was probably a temple dedicated to the goddess Isis. the structure consists of an outer perimeter with an irregular octagonal plan – in the ceiling of which nett uno 40 spotlights are discreetly integrated – and an inner perimeter with a dodecagonal plan to support the dome. the 11th-century shrine in the centre of the building contains the replica of the holy sepulchre, and is evocatively illuminated from above, as natural light would, by nett uno 80 spotlights located in the upper floor portico, which runs all around the space. on the sills of the bifora windows, c sistema creates diffuse lighting on the vaults of the bifora openings themselves. the historical lanterns were restored and updated with Viabizzuno technology to make them more sustainable and more faithful to the atmosphere of light they originally emitted. adjacent to the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, there is the Basilica of Saints Vitale and Agricola, dating back to the 5th century. the church was renovated in the 8th century and rebuilt in the 11th century in the romanesque-lombard style. salvaged elements taken from pre-existing buildings can be seen throughout the structure. in order to respect the strong materiality of the floor, the walls and the columns, and above all to recreate a scenario of artificial light in harmony with natural light, the main light sources were placed on the upper cornice and provide predominantly diffuse lighting on the dome using arcoled. n55 gives accent light to the altar, the crucifix and functional light for the floor. two sarcophagi located in the side apses – on which bas-reliefs of animals with a powerful symbolic value such as the deer, the lion and peacocks stand out – are illuminated with a composition of traccia sistema and micromen spotlights positioned on one side only to enhance the three-dimensionality of the surface. behind the sarcophagi, c sistema creates additional depth by gently brightening the backdrop. along the side aisles, works of art and important architectural details are illuminated by nett uno 40, whose beam although concentrated is never glaring, its focus softening as it blends into the space and across the walls.

the next space after the basilica of the Holy Sepulchre is the Courtyard of Pilate. at the centre of the courtyard is an 8th century limestone pool known as the catino di pilato, lit by nett uno 100. the walkway under the portico is illuminated by lancillotto parete, a lighting solution created for another historic building – Palazzo Ancilotto in treviso, the restoration of which was carried out by David Chipperfield Architects – characterised by a clean linearity and an extraordinary quality of light, as it is based on n55 technology. thanks to the calm finish and the minimalist lamp body that reinterprets the form of ancient torches, this lighting solution blends seamlessly into the architecture. the small chapels accessed from the portico are lit by traccia terra with ecomini or trentotto spotlights.

after passing through the courtyard, one arrives at the Church of the Trinity. today it is very complicated to interpret this place because of the numerous destructions and reconstructions that have taken place over the ages. it currently appears as a space divided into five naves delimited by roman columns and capitals. the peculiarity of this space called for the creation of a special product: by exploiting the technology of n55, a ceiling solution was developed which, with a ceiling rose of just a few centimetres, could offer a diffused light source – n55 sospensione – and a concentrated light source – trentotto spotlight on rod. behind the large main pillars that punctuate the naves, traccia terra with 13x8 and trentotto provide diffuse illumination to the apses and the works located within them.

the last place on our light trail is the Medieval Cloister. here too, the walkway under the portico was illuminated with nett uno 40, while the well at the centre of the courtyard and the bell tower rising above it have been lit with nett uno 100, whose larger diameter means that they can provide suitably intense concentrated light even when positioned dozens of metres away. the project, which covered a very large area and was characterised by very different spaces, required the use of numerous luminaires and the creation of distinct lighting designs. in order to make the lighting scenarios easily manageable and customisable, casambi lighting solutions were used, controlled via the Viascenario app, Viabizzuno’s wireless lighting management system.