Sanctuary of Christ the King

The Sanctuary of Christ the King is a Catholic monument and shrine overlooking the city of Lisbon. It was inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil and was inaugurated on 17th May 1959. The majestic statue was built at an altitude of 133 metres on the south bank of the River Tagus in the city of Almada. It is without a doubt, its main tourist attraction, offering stunning panoramic views of the capital city.

To welcome the 2023 World Youth Day which was gathering around 500,000 young people in Lisbon, the local diocese decided to upgrade the illumination of the statue by night.
 

Architectural lighting with LED technology

The existing lighting system with traditional discharge lamps had been in use for quite a few years and was generating more and more energy and maintenance costs. Furthermore, the light was static and could not be controlled.

To illuminate the 75m high plinth, we proposed to replace the existing 96 fixtures fitted with 150W metal halide floodlights with 120W SCULPFLOOD RGB floodlights equipped with the latest LED technology. The SCULPFLOOD was also chosen to light inside the arches of the pedestal.

The actual statue of Jesus Christ which is 28m high, is illuminated by OMNISTAR and INDUFLOOD floodlights fitted with neutral white LEDs.
 

Dynamic RGB lighting to celebrate events

Thanks to the RGB LEDs, the Shrine can now be lit up in different colours to mark the various events of the liturgical calendar or any other celebration, including World Youth Day. The lighting scenarios can be programmed to coordinate with the specific events.
 

Energy-saving architectural lighting

Considering the deterioration of the old floodlights, and that the installation was losing around 20% of its luminous flux, the new LED architectural lighting solution represents savings of 33% in energy alone. In addition, the robust design and long life of the LEDs will provide significant savings in maintenance.  

The customer is delighted with the new illumination scheme that:

• creates an inviting night-time landmark and beacon on the landscape;
• reduces energy costs by 33%;
• provides performance and reliability;
• offers a long service life;
• minimises maintenance operations and associated costs.