Sagrada Família in a new light

Lighting the Sagrada Família was a challenge unlike any other. Juanjo Saunier’s design had to work on an extraordinary scale while respecting one of Barcelona’s most iconic spaces – and LumenRadio’s wireless DMX played a key role in making the most demanding parts of the show possible.

Originally designed by Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudi, Sagrada Família is one of Spain’s best-known landmarks. Located in the heart of Barcelona, this spectacular and complex basilica is finally nearing completion, more than 144 years after construction began.

A huge milestone was reached in February 2026, when the finishing touches were put to the church’s Tower of Jesus. This central spire, crowned by a gigantic cross, makes Sagrada Família the tallest church in the world, and is just one of the structure’s 18 towers.

To celebrate this achievement, and to mark the 100th anniversary of Gaudí’s death, an inauguration ceremony was held on June 10, 2026, with lighting design by Juanjo Saunier and creative direction by Igor Cortadellas.

Prestige and privilege

“My biggest fear…was falling short with the design”

For Juanjo, the inauguration represented far more than just another project. It was a unique combination of scale, technical complexity and historical significance.

“I met with Igor after he reached out to me about the show and as soon as I saw the magnitude and beauty of the project, I jumped on board,” recalls Juanjo.

The planning process took a whole six months and at first the sheer size of the undertaking naturally felt overwhelming.

“It was a long journey and one that commanded a tremendous amount of respect,” says Juanjo. “The immense proportions were intimidating; everything I initially started drafting on the CAD plots quickly felt dwarfed by the venue, and my biggest fear throughout that stage was falling short with the design.”

Lighting central to the narrative

The biggest obstacle was, without a doubt, logistics.

“The lighting design for the Sagrada Família was divided into two completely distinct scopes,” explains Juanjo. “The exterior facade, which was resolved relatively quickly using lighting towers positioned directly opposite the building, and the interior lighting, which represented the true challenge.”

Part of the brief for the show was to make light central to the narrative and convey its journey from the entrance of the basilica all the way to the cross atop the central tower.

“During my first site visit, I realized that the main technical and logistical hurdle was finding a way to cover that massive interior surface with fixtures powerful enough to project from the inside out while remaining lightweight enough for handling and installation,” says Juanjo.

The right lighting for the right job

For the exterior facade, Juanjo had no hesitation in choosing Robe Lighting, a brand which he has always appreciated for its reliability and light quality.

Robe iFORTE LTX were selected in addition to Astera products for decorative elements, which were customized to look like candelabras.

For the interior, Juanjo and his team combined Robe fixtures, Prolights blinders and once again turned to Astera in the Crossing Room (Sala Crucero), where the orchestra performance was filmed.

“To light this space without compromising the visual design, I established from the outset that we would work exclusively with wireless, battery-powered fixtures – in this case, from Astera – so we could manage everything 100% wirelessly without a single cable in sight.”

Confidence in LumenRadio wireless

“I couldn’t take any risks…and with LumenRadio, I had absolute certainty that it would not fail”

The wireless system was powered by LumenRadio’s CRMX technology, giving Juanjo the reliability he needed for such a critical part of the show.

“We needed complete control and 100% reliability to guarantee that the Astera AX3 units worked exactly as intended – there was zero room for error,” he states. “I couldn’t take any risks when it came to signal distribution and control for all those fixtures and with LumenRadio, I had absolute certainty that it would not fail.”

A unique visual tribute

On the night, everything executed flawlessly. The entire show ran under timecode signal and had been fully pre-programmed two weeks in advance.

“The response was incredible,” remembers Juanjo. “As soon as the show finished, I started receiving a flood of messages. The feeling at FOH control when it ended was one of absolute emotion and a sincere realization that we had just been part of something iconic that will stand the test of time.”

“That is a truly humbling feeling and I could not be more grateful to the entire team of professionals who collaborated with me on this project, not least to Igor for placing his trust in me to bring this vision to life.”

“Having the opportunity to design this show in the city I call home, for a landmark as iconic to Barcelona as the Sagrada Família, is genuinely a profound honor – and I feel extremely privileged.”

You can watch the incredible light show as originally aired by Catalan broadcaster, 3Cat, on YouTube: Light and drone show at Sagrada Família