46,650 KILOWATTS TO ILLUMINE ST. PETER'S BASILICA

VATICAN CITY, NOV 24, 1999 (VIS) - The dome, atrium and newly-restored facade of St. Peter's Basilica, starting on December 17, will be illuminated by 425 projectors and 46,650 kilowatts of power, it was announced during a press conference yesterday afternoon in the Holy See Press Office.

Cardinal Virgilio Noe, president of the Fabric of St. Peter's, which oversees upkeep and maintenance of the nearly 400-year old basilica, made the announcement, together with officials of ACEA, Rome's water and electricity company. ACEA will install the new lighting on St. Peter's, improving on that which they installed for the dome in 1992 and adding new illumination to the skylight, small domes, the tambour, which is a circular wall which supports a dome, and the facade and atrium.

Cardinal Noe explained that "what is being presented today is not merely a lighting system or an operation limited in time to be shelved at the end of the next year. The basilica's facade, atrium and dome will be illuminated so that pilgrims coming to Rome during the Jubilee Year will be able to view the basilica in all its glory. At the same time we want to transmit the same image in coming years to the inhabitants of Rome, in which St. Peter's is a capital monument."

The cardinal archpriest of St. Peter's closed his remarks by anticipating journalists' questions regarding the rumors which have circulated on the basilica's static properties. "In our task as guardians of a heritage that belongs to the whole world, we take the utmost care of the Vatican basilica. It is inconceivable to think that time, money and spiritual efforts are being committed only for enhancing its external image. The structure of the Vatican basilica is safe and sound."

Fulvio Vento, chairman of ACEA, pointed out that the company "has been working in the artistic lighting sector for more than 60 years," illuminating most of Rome's most prominent monuments: the Roman Forum, Castel Sant'Angelo, the Pantheon, the Domus Aurea, once Nero's home, Piazza di Spagna and Capitoline Hill, to name a few.

He said that "the city's monuments usually live by day, but artificial light enables them to live by night. From a technical point of view, we have rejected the idea of spectacularity and dazzling Technicolor in favor of a discreet, soothing light. ... Next December's project ... will bathe in light the exceptional, painstaking renovation of St. Peter's, restoring to the basilica the harmony of its original colors."

Sandro Benedetti, manager of the technical department of the Fabric of St. Peter's, spoke of the "special attention that has always been paid to the appearance and image (of St. Peter's), by day and night" and the "special lighting systems (which) have been devised over the centuries. ... Great interest has always been shown for nighttime illumination, with which St. Peter's was enhanced on the eve of the feast of Saints Peter and Paul and on other occasions, in particular during Holy Years."

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