Saint-Gertrudis Church

Nijvel, Belgium

“We wanted to create a warm atmosphere in our church. The interaction of warm white and cool white LEDs made this atmosphere perfectly feasible.” - Jean-Paul Etienne, chairman of the church administration.

The Project

The church of Saint-Gertrudis in Nijvel, with its richly decorated gable end, is one of the oldest and biggest Romanesque churches in Europe. Some time ago, the decision was made to renew the interior lighting. The aim was not just for the building to meet the current lighting standard, but also to find a solution that would give even greater emphasis to the architectural and artistic heritage of the church. At the suggestion of the contractor Putman, the church authorities opted for the LED solutions from Philips. The two main entrances, the side aisles, nave, arches, two chancels and works of art, along with the archaeological site beneath the church were illuminated by the innovative LED lighting system. The new lighting guarantees optimum colour reproduction, so that the actual colours, and therefore the expressive properties, of the artistic heritage of the church are brought to the fore.

The Solution

LED lighting has been developed to such an extent that it can now create any desired atmosphere in a building, even in a building as special as this one. “We wanted a warm atmosphere in our church,” says Jean-Paul Etienne, chairman of the church administration of Saint-Gertrudis. The possibility of being able to programme the LEDs from warm white to cool white was also an excellent option. “The interaction of warm white and cool white LEDs made this atmosphere perfectly feasible.” Compared with a conventional lighting solution for this church, we have also made a saving of around 30%! The fact that Philips LEDs have a lifespan that is fifty times longer than conventional solutions is an added bonus. Consequently, expensive and frequent replacements are now a thing of the past. When you realise that in such a high building, all bulbs have to be replaced by an expensive contractor, this advantage alone is no superfluous luxury.

Philips eW Burst Powercore

Philips eW Graze Powercore

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