Putting a Landmark Church in Its Best Light : Sainte-Famille Church

October 9, 2017

The parish of Sainte-Famille, founded in 1678 by François de Laval (1623–1708), the first bishop of Nouvelle-France, is one of the oldest in Quebec. Overlooking the St. Lawrence River and the Boucherville Islands, the grounds are home to the Sainte-Famille church, built in 1801 and classified as a historical monument in 1964, as well as the former convent of the Congregation of Notre-Dame (1890) and the old rectory (1896). The church square was named a heritage treasure by the City of Longueuil in the spring of 2003 and is a source of great pride for the surrounding community. Among the highlights to be discovered are a number of magnificent sculptures, an organ with no fewer than 1,597 pipes and frescoes gilded with gold leaves that were fully restored in 2016. The church’s administration wanted to draw attention to the beauty of this religious landmark with an integrated architectural lighting plan.The parish of Sainte-Famille, founded in 1678 by François de Laval (1623–1708), the first bishop of Nouvelle-France, is one of the oldest in Quebec. Overlooking the St. Lawrence River and the Boucherville Islands, the grounds are home to the Sainte-Famille church, built in 1801 and classified as a historical monument in 1964, as well as the former convent of the Congregation of Notre-Dame (1890) and the old rectory (1896). The church square was named a heritage treasure by the City of Longueuil in the spring of 2003 and is a source of great pride for the surrounding community. Among the highlights to be discovered are a number of magnificent sculptures, an organ with no fewer than 1,597 pipes and frescoes gilded with gold leaves that were fully restored in 2016. The church’s administration wanted to draw attention to the beauty of this religious landmark with an integrated architectural lighting plan.

Hand-picked by the parish elders to create the new lighting scheme, Philippe Péquignot, a specialist in heritage lighting projects, approached XYZ and asked the firm to serve as the integration partner for the project. Philippe came up with a series of layouts to create different ambiances and emphasize key works of art within the church. The experts at XYZ delivered a state-of-the-art solution featuring 66 LED projectors and close to 1,000 individually controllable dots of light. The lamps produce a powerful effect, while still blending seamlessly into the surrounding architecture.

XYZ was the technical lead on the project, provided and set up the equipment, and programmed the control systems for the various lighting schemes. The team also rolled out a mobile app that lets church staff control the lighting with only a few taps of the screen. In addition to putting the building in its best light — literally — this new, user-friendly feature is an excellent way for the administrators to raise Sainte-Famille’s reputation as a premier rental performance venue.

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Credit photos: https://xyz-tc.com/en/realisations/sainte-famille-church-lighting/