The Temple of Our Lady of Succour is deeply linked to the history of Rovigo and is an identifying element of the city. Built between 1594 and 1606 based on a design by Francesco Zamberlan, a student of Palladio, with the contribution of all social classes, the temple has an octagonal shape and is flanked by an elegant bell tower built on a design attributed to Baldassare Longhena.
The building preserves in the centre of the wooden altar, the work of Giovanni Caracchio, a fifteenth-century fresco of a Madonna with child, the object of strong popular devotion. The decoration of the church during the seventeenth century was enriched with large canvases commissioned to various artists working in the Republic of Venice. In addition to religious subjects, the canvases also depict the provveditori of the Serenissima who had well managed the economy, defence, social life, and control of the waters in Rovigo, because the Temple was also a civic reference point in the centuries of Venetian domination. Initially officiated by the friars of San Francesco, it has always been managed by the City Council, and even today the ownership, conservation, and enhancement are the responsibility of the municipal administration of Rovigo. The Municipality, through the Syndicate of the Temple, takes care of the delicate balance between artistic promotion and the continuity of the centuries-old Marian devotion.
During 2023, an intervention was carried out, supported by the Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo Foundation, for the creation of a new lighting system that would improve the enjoyment of the works, while containing energy consumption.
The cycle of canvases, organised on three registers, has twenty stucco statues inside niches in the central register. On the east wall is the large wooden altar and on the opposite side is the choir loft with the Callido organ. The nineteenth-century ceiling is frescoed.
The pre-existing lighting system was composed of heterogeneous sources and the first and third registers, lacking dedicated fixtures, received diffused ambient lighting.
During the preliminary study phase, it was found that natural light penalises the enjoyment of the works and directly affects the surface of the paintings with possible effects on the pigments, despite the application of films to the windows to neutralise the ultraviolet component. This inconvenience will be overcome with the installation of curtains on the windows of the drum planned during 2025. This solution will also allow accent lighting without resorting to high illuminance values, which, according to literature data, should not exceed 150 lx.
The illuminance and luminance of the painted surfaces and the characteristics of the fixtures under test were measured, with particular reference to the special linear fixture. The colour temperature that gave the best results is 3500 K with a colour rendering index of 97.2, which has high values for the entire range of colours, including the red R9, which is the critical value of many LED sources.
The lighting solution provided by Antonio Stevan's project was verified through some test sessions in order to also define the constructive aspects of the installation.
A sample wall was set up for approval of the installation by the property and the protection bodies.
The shelf of the backrests, for example, did not allow the lighting fixtures of the first register to be housed inside it, due to the very short distance from the surface of the canvases. With the installation of the fixtures outside the shelf, the distribution of the luminous flux has improved significantly. The most convenient solution is represented by a continuous profile that flanks the shelves of the first register for their entire development. This profile consists of a Low Voltage track with the function of supporting and powering the lighting fixtures.
The test also continued with the other registers, confirming the choices of the lighting project, which can be summarised as follows:
First register: grazing light from the lower frame. The installation of the new lighting fixtures began precisely from the first register, which previously had no dedicated lighting at all. The installation of the supports and the Low Voltage track for the special fixtures was carried out following the procedures agreed with the Superintendence.
Second register: grazing light from the lower frame for the canvases with the fixtures installed inside the frame; light projected from the gallery to illuminate the niches with the statues.
The Low Voltage track for the special linear fixtures, located in correspondence with the canvases, was fixed inside the frame on special supports. The power supplies are contained in boxes fixed inside the balustrade of the choir loft. They are thus easily accessible for maintenance without requiring work at height.
Third register: light projected from the gallery. The lighting fixtures of the third register, the statues of the second register and the nave are installed behind the balustrade of the gallery using supports built with steel profiles painted black. The mains voltage tracks that power the Palco and View projectors are fixed to the profiles.
Altar and choir loft: light projected from the gallery. On the canopy of the altar are installed, also on a frame in steel profiles, the MV tracks with the View, Palco and Palco profiler fixtures for the lighting of the ceiling and the works located above the choir loft. Behind the opposite balustrade are the remaining projectors for the lighting of the ceiling and those dedicated to the lighting of the altar, which is realised through the projectors located on the gallery, the special linear fixtures at the base of the altar and a pair of Palco projectors (Ø 51 mm) placed behind the pediment of the attic that is located above the entablature.
Balustrade of the choir loft: light projected from the canopy. In the choir loft, the fixtures that were used in the previous system have been replaced with four Palco projectors placed on the gallery.
Ceiling: light projected from the canopy and from the gallery.Direct lighting of the nave: light projected from the gallery.
Through the use of a Master Pro Evo KNX control system, multiple scenarios have been configured for different needs, including liturgical, artistic and event lighting, such as concerts. These scenes can be selected with buttons from the new panel, located in the sacristy, and one of these is configured for general shutdown, which removes power to the entire system. This measure avoids the presence of mains power inside the church during closing hours. It is known, in fact, that electrical systems are the primary cause of fire, especially when conduits and lighting fixtures are located near wooden structures and decorative apparatuses.
A 2.8” touch environmental controller allows you to configure the lighting according to particular needs, without interfering with the programming.
The new lighting system therefore uses two different solutions for the lighting of the canvases, statues and other decorative apparatuses. The paintings of the first register and those of the second register are illuminated with grazing light with special linear fixtures with wall grazing optics, while the remaining works with light projected by the Palco and View fixtures installed in correspondence with the gallery and the canopy. The total absorption from the system is 4240 W.
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