Saint-Alain Cathedral

The Cathedral of Saint Alain de Lavaur is a Southern Gothic style cathedral with a powerful tower-belfry and a monumental portal that accompanies a single nave lined with chapels. Built at the end of the 13th century, the Cathedral is the most visited monument in the Tarn after the Sainte Cecile d'Albi cathedral and has been listed as a National Monument since 1911. After six years of intense restoration, the City of Lavaur wished  to enhance its historical and artistic value further.

As with any heritage building classified as a historical monument, the main challenge was to create a discreet yet durable lighting scheme," explains Lionel Bessières, founder of Quartiers Lumières, the lighting design agency of this project. "The project also had to fit into the urban context of Lavaur. Therefore, we chose a simple, discreet, and elegant lighting concept, with particular attention paid to the quality of the 2700K light to reveal the distinct shades of the pink bricks, reliefs, contrasts, and volumes. Another challenge was to reveal the exterior sculptures in the delicate context of an imposing medieval architecture with few options for concealing the lighting equipment.

For Mr. Bessières, the choice of Lumenpulse came naturally. "We had previously worked with Lumenpulse and were familiar with the wide range and great flexibility of their linear products. We wanted to guarantee the best possible harmony in terms of color temperature and flexibility of implementation," he explains.

"The flexibility of the Lumenpulse range allowed us to individually size each layout to meet the specific requirements of the lighting," continues Mr. Bessières. "We worked closely with Lumenpulse to carry out several on-site trials. This meticulous work resulted in the discreet and elegant rendering we were looking for. We would also like to highlight the remarkable work done by eurl RONCO for the installation of this project."

This exterior lighting, combined with the award-winning interior lighting, gives a new dimension to this masterpiece of Southern Gothic architecture. Beautifully lit, St. Alain's Cathedral will undoubtedly continue to make Lavaur shine throughout the region.