St. Peters Square - The Vatican
Vatican City
Project Type: Renovation
Project Completion: 2000
A/V Installation: Eastern Acoustic Works
AD Scope: Audio
Millions flock to the Vatican each year to attend masses and celebrations held in St. Peter’s Square, the main entryway to the basilica. The square, reported to be built over the tomb of the martyred Apostle Peter, measures more than 750 feet long and 400 feet wide, and thus, forms a long rectangle, bowed outward in its middle section, as it leads to the basilica.
Obviously, the importance of quality sound reinforcement in the square is paramount. Often, more than 150,000 attend a single mass, and not being able to clearly hear the words of faith and inspiration would be a major disappointment.
At the time of the 2000 renovation, the original audio equipment was becoming sorely out of date, and was falling short of modern expectations for providing intelligible audio to the entire space. Further, with the approach of Jubilee 2000, a three-year celebration of the new millennium, the need for a modern sound reinforcement system providing optimum performance had become more than evident. It was a necessity. The number of people attending Jubilee 2000 events was expected to exceed the entire population of Italy.
The new audio system needed to cover hundreds of thousands of square feet of space with optimum vocal intelligibility. Virtually all surfaces surrounding, and in some cases, in the midst of the all-outdoor area are stone, marble, brick and just about every other type of non-friendly acoustical material. Also, the Vatican architectural staff was adamant that any new system conform to strict aesthetic guidelines. Specifically, loudspeakers needed to be few in number and as small as possible. Extreme ease of use for system operators and the provision of a number of configurations that could be quickly and conveniently enacted to meet varying needs was also desired.
AD studied the site first-hand and offered ideas regarding acoustics and the predominant issue of loudspeaker pattern control. The Vatican’s requirements were met to such a degree that the speakers were weather-proofed and custom painted the exact color of the weathered marble they were attached to.
AD also consulted on the design of the sound system installed in the Audience Chamber.
This project resulted in the largest installed sound reinforcement system in Italy and one of the largest in Europe - a system meeting and exceeding a list of highly demanding requirements.
