Costa Tropical church lights up night sky

New lighting on La Encarnación parish church in Almuñécar (Granada province) was officially inaugurated on Tuesday 6 June. “La Encarnación church is one of the stars of our heritage and it should have lighting in keeping with the monument it is. We have turned a church that was in darkness into yet another attraction for the town, something we should also be very proud of," said acting councillor for Public Works, Beatriz González Orce.

She described the image as the town’s "night-time postcard" and pointed out that it adds to the San Miguel castle, which is also lit up at night.

The acting mayor of Almuñécar, Juan José Ruiz Joya, said that "this initiative has been an important milestone for our heritage and represents a valuable tribute to our town, Almuñécar”.

The lighting project for the parish church was approved last January "with the aim of providing the exterior façade of the church with monumental lighting to enhance its monumental character".

The project was awarded to the local company, Francis Matías, who had previously been in charge of lighting the façade of the town hall and the outer walls of San Miguel castle.

A total of 162 LED lights have been used on the church, with power ratings of between seven and 25 watts, which between them reach a total of around 2,200 watts of low consumption connected to the municipal grid.

"It has been a complex and extraordinary job that has taken more than two months. It has been necessary to use cranes to reach all the highest points on the façades and bell tower," explained Francis Matías.

The illumination is now visible from any point in the Río Verde valley and the hills surrounding the town and is programmed to start 25 minutes after sunset until 1am in the summer months and until midnight in winter.