St. Joseph Church

Illumination scheme turns church into a nocturnal icon for the community

Built in the 19th century, St. Joseph’s Church in Angers, is the only church in western France that features a rose window with 17 stained glass mosaics representing the complete life of Saint Joseph. 

A sanctuary for the local population, the city decided to illuminate the façade of the church to highlight its status as an oasis of light for the community and create an engaging public space. 

They wanted an energy-efficient dynamic lighting solution with easy maintenance so that they can illuminate the church in different colours to mark special events. We delivered a lighting design with the POSS and ENYO floodlights. 

The POSS discreetly integrates the façade with minimal visual impact to emphasise the architectural wealth. Thanks to its flexible photometry, it concentrates and directs the light towards the arches and the rose window, giving the edifice a three-dimensional effect with significantly more contours.

ENYO floodlights are installed above the entrance and on the square. These miniscule floodlights accentuate the main arch as well as the 2 sculptures above the door to give a sense of depth. 

A total of 50 floodlights with an average consumption of 25W were installed. As the installed LEDs have a much longer lifetime, and far reduced maintenance needs, the lighting respects the city’s environmental objectives to create a sustainable future. 

2 Rue Saint-Joseph
Angers
France

Customer

City of Angers

Partner(s)

Installation contractor: Bouygues Energies – Service Saint-Sylvain d’Anjou
Photos: Jean-Baptiste Guerlesquin

Application(s)

6
ENYO
44
POSS
25W
per luminaire

Each night, the church is bathed in a soft white light that highlights the neo-Gothic architecture of the façade and magnifies its intricate details. More playful illumination schemes are programmed in different colours to celebrate special occasions. 

The new lighting has enhanced the heritage of the city and created a nocturnal icon for local residents and tourists.