Event: Relighting of the Lutheran Christuskirche, Rome, Italy

On Nov 9, 1871, the first evangelical service ever held in Rome commemorated the three-hundredth anniversary of the Reformation. King Frederick William III granted permission for this service to the Prussian ambassador to the Vatican and scholar of ancient Rome, Barthold G. Niebhur. Out of respect for Prussian Catholics, the service was held not at the Legations Chapel but at the home of Christian Carl Josias Bunsen, the Legation's secretary, in Piazza d'Aracoeli on the Capitoline Hill. No pastor was present. Now, in 2017, in honor of the five-hundredth anniversary of the Reformation, the interior has been brilliantly relit under the direction of Roman architect Marco del Bufalo. LED dimmable bulbs in 170 fixtures add a new, warmer atmosphere to the sanctuary, aisles, and narthex. Modern technology allows the temperature of the light to be adjusted, bringing out the subtlety of the mosaic decoration. Although the previous sodium lighting was generalized, accents now emphasize certain aspects of the decoration.