The Bartholomäus Chapel within St. Ulrich and Afra in Augsburg is a space with its own history. After Anton Fugger acquired the chapel in 1589, Philipp Eduard Fugger had it redesigned between 1596 and 1602 as a burial site. Since 2007, it has been home to the “Ort der Ikonen” – a collection of 30 icons from the 17th to 19th centuries, mainly from Palekh, as well as Moscow and Yaroslavl.

The icon vitrines in the chapel were given a new lighting scheme. The existing system had become outdated and no longer matched the quality of the collection. At the same time, the spatial conditions were restrictive: shallow vitrines, access only from above, and works combining painting with finely worked silver relief. The aim was to reveal this depth and materiality again.

A carefully calibrated lighting solution was developed specifically for these conditions. Precisely aligned spots and extremely slim micro-LED lines are integrated so discreetly that they almost disappear visually. The light remains in the background, allowing the icons to come forward.

The key lies in the interplay of soft ambient light and precisely controlled grazing light. Painting, relief and metal surfaces become clearly legible. Colours appear more nuanced, details emerge, and reflections in the glass are significantly reduced. The works are not staged, but gain presence.

This restraint defines the quality of the solution. It reveals rather than asserts. Technically, this was only possible through a highly miniaturised custom development: without the almost invisible 4 mm micro-LED lines, the concept could not have been realised within the existing vitrines. Combined with finely tuned control, the result is a system that operates with precision while leaving the space and its contents intact.
 

Ceiling48 tracks
- lower track channel only
- two tracks installed closely parallel inside the display cases
  (for Micro LED strips and Quad spotlights)
- in a custom colour

Quad luminaires
- very small directional spotlight
- light colour 3000 K / 4000 K
- Casambi control

Micro LED lines
- partly suspended vertically
- partly mounted horizontally
- light colour 3000 K
- Casambi control

Motion detectors

The project was designed by Stephan Meyer, Luxophil Lighting. His signature is clearly visible in the result: light does not dominate, but guides the eye towards the work. In a collection where painting, relief and material interact so closely, this requires not only technical precision, but also a confident sense of restraint.

Visit the Basilica of St. Ulrich and Afra online here >>
or in person at Kirchplatz; Ulrichsplatz 21; 86150 Augsburg.

Retail partner: luxophil lighting
Lighting concept: Stephan Meyer
Photos: Stephan Meyer and Buschfeld Design GmbH

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