FS Group’s “digital eye” unveils the secret of St. Peter's treasure

“Digital eyes” flying inside St. Peter's Basilica to capture images and details not visible to the human eyes.

These special eyes are provided by Italferr - the engineering company of the Infrastructure Business Hub of the Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group - hired by the Ente Fabbrica di San Pietro to map and analyze every single element of the Basilica and make it the subject of constant future monitoring, also in view of the upcoming Jubilee of 2025. It took two months, July and August 2022, when it was closed to the public, to carry out the surveys necessary to collect over 3.1 terabytes of data and thus create a Digital Twin of St. Peter's Basilica. The work was carried out through topographical and photographic methods and with the use of laser scanners and georadar. A work in which high technology, digitization, art, culture and religion have found synthesis and sublimation.

In a short time, using specific calculation algorithms, it will be possible to investigate the response capacity of the work to static and dynamic stresses, have full knowledge of the state of health of the structures and proceed with the design of a permanent structural monitoring system.

 All the data from the sensors that will be defined in the monitoring project will flow into the Digital Twin and the subsequent processing will be made available to the Ente Fabbrica di San Pietro for future maintenance and management activities of the Basilica.

To support the project, Italferr has collaborated with highly qualified companies such as Italdron Air Service Srl, supported by CAD Connect, for survey activities in the field, and Sacertis Ingegneria s.r.l for the design of the monitoring system.