When Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, he relied on sunlight to illuminate his masterpieces.  Now, hundreds of years later, its that same sunlight that is causing the colors to fade, threatening what is widely considered one of the most beautiful works of art ever created.  Traditional halogen light bulbs cause the same damage, which is why experts hired to solve the issue, turned to the one light source that doesn’t, LED lights – or Light Emitting Diodes.

Approximately 7000 LED’s were installed along the edges of the ledge which runs around the chapel.  LED lighting can affect the way colors are seen, so hundreds of spectrum analysis were performed and LED’s were matched to the original paint color used by Michael Angelo.  The result is nothing short of amazing, arguably, never before have these paintings been seen in such magnificence.

In addition to preserving the frescoes, and offering a better view, the energy saving LED’s will cut electricity costs by more than 60%.

Some six million people a year visit the Sistine Chapel, and now thanks in part to LED technology, the chapel can remain open for all to see, and these wonderful works of art will be preserved for future generations.