Dona Nobis Pacem – The Light of Peace on Cologne Cathedral

In the autumn of 2018, we visited the Cologne Cathedral with friends to experience the remarkable light installation Dona Nobis Pacem. The square was crowded, yet we were fortunate to gain late entry. Before the vast southern façade of the cathedral began a spectacle of light, motion, and sound – turning this place of silence into a luminous symbol of peace.

A Projection of Memory and Hope

The installation was part of the Cologne Pilgrimage 2018 and commemorated the end of the First World War a hundred years earlier. The artist duo Detlef Hartung and Georg Trenz created Dona Nobis Pacem – “Grant Us Peace” – using 19 high-power projectors to transform the cathedral’s nearly 150-metre-high south façade into a moving canvas, allowing the building itself to become the message.

In stark black and white, the sharp outlines of the Gothic architecture emerged – pillars, tracery, pinnacles, and gargoyles – a quiet yet powerful play of light and shadow emphasizing the cathedral’s soaring structure. The high contrast of night seemed to carve each line and detail into the darkness, turning stone into a living image.

Light, Color, and Meaning

The audience watched in silence as words and symbols appeared across the façade, calling for peace and mutual respect. A rare sense of unity spread through the crowd – a collective stillness. Then, color began to fill the night: the cathedral shone in blue, yellow, red, and violet, as if sending its message of peace through the entire spectrum of light. Color became emotion, and architecture became voice – the cathedral itself speaking in tones of hope.

Finally, the projection returned to black and white. Thousands of glowing crosses appeared – grave markers for the countless dead of the First World War. For a long moment, the square fell silent. Only the flickering light remained – an echo of a simple, timeless appeal: peace is not a state, but a task.

An Experience Between Light and Stillness

We stood close together among the crowd on Roncalliplatz. The murmuring ceased, and history, art, and spirituality merged into one shared experience. Alongside several photographs, I recorded two short videos capturing the projection in motion – a rare moment when architecture became medium, and the cathedral itself carried the message of peace.

A Sign That Remains

Dona Nobis Pacem was far more than a technical light show. It was a collective pause – a visual prayer in the heart of the city. For a few evenings, art, memory, and faith united in a single expression that shone into the darkness: the plea for peace.