The beautiful paintings in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel have been revived, thanks to the installation of new energy-saving lighting.

The Chapel, which has around five and a half million visitors every year, intends to save energy costs and reduce the Vatican’s carbon footprint.

The previous system has been replaced with more than 7,000 LEDs by lighting manufacturer Osram, designed to conserve the famous frescoes and provide brighter lighting while using up to 60% less power.

Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice President responsible for the Digital Agenda said: “Art exists to inspire us and illuminate our minds. Now that we have illuminated the Sistine Chapel with LED, Michelangelo’s art can fulfil this role even more than it has up until now throughout history.”

It has been funded by the EU’s LED4ART pilot project, a consortium of six partners from five countries.