The Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris glows with a spectacular light show

PARIS – As dusk falls on the City of Light, a new spectacle illuminates the Church of Saint-Sulpice, a monument whose interiors are even larger than those of Notre Dame – and perhaps just as breathtaking.

The cavernous walls of this neoclassical gem on Paris’ Left Bank come to life with 360-degree video projections, sparkling cutting-edge technology and actors telling the story of the church and its place in French history.

Combining centuries of intrigue, revolution and family drama, the show reimagines the Saint-Germain area during the Fronde, the 17th century civil war and the lead-up to the French Revolution.

“Paris Cœur de Lumières” (Paris Chancellery of Lights), which runs until November 23, transforms the church’s vast 6,000-square-meter (65,000-square-foot) interior into a digital stage using cutting-edge video mapping.

“From a technological point of view, it is the laser scanning of the entire building that allows us to reconstruct the space in three dimensions,” explained director Damien Fontaine.

“Then we ‘unfold’ it like origami… and bring it back into 3D to project it as one single image. We have over 45 projectors, each of which illuminates part of the vault, part of the column or part of the nave. It’s… a mosaic of images that form one big picture.”

Projections transform stone carvings into animated storytellers, and immersive soundscapes paired with an original score envelop viewers in a sensory experience.

The actors brought the story to life. More than 350 performers and volunteers, dressed in more than 500 period costumes, move among the audience, portraying local families and rivalries, weaving personal narratives into the larger story.

Many of those who volunteered were amazed to learn about little-known aspects of French history.

Anne Dubosc, a 65-year-old amateur actress, played Anne of Austria, mother of the Sun King Louis XIV.

“She was a wonderful woman, very involved in politics and religion,” Dubosc said. “I didn’t realize how important she was. If Louis XIV became the man he was, it was partly thanks to this woman, this mother, who was like a tigress, doing everything to protect her son and teach him to be a great statesman.”

She added that the performance in Saint-Sulpice was extraordinary: “It’s exceptional. You lose track of what’s going on, where fiction ends and history begins.”

Her period costume literally influenced her performance.

“I have a corset that’s constricting me so much,” she said. “You realize there is a way to hold on, to hold onto your shoulders and neck, like in the 18th century, that gives a natural grandeur. The costume really affects the way you hold your body, and that posture affects your mind, giving the character of this stateswoman.”

The production highlighted a growing trend in Paris of using lighting technology to showcase the city’s iconic church interiors. A similar illumination display took place at the Church of Saint-Eustache until September, with video projections, lighting effects and a spatial electronic soundtrack.

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Associated Press writer Marine Leprit contributed to this report.