Pulchra ut Luna / Electa ut Sol
Church of San Cibrao de Vieiro · Viveiro (Lugo, Spain)
Oil on the vaults · ~90 m² · 2016–2017 · 2020
About the work
A church vault of nearly 90 m² painted in oil: sky, light and spirituality over the nave of San Cibrao.
Pulchra ut Luna / Electa ut Sol is a large-scale painted intervention that David Catá carried out in two phases for the church of San Cibrao de Vieiro (Viveiro, Lugo). Conceived for the architecture of the temple itself, it turns the ceiling into a great visual journey uniting sky, light and spirituality.
The first phase (2016-2017), above the altar, depicts the coronation of the Virgin suspended among clouds; beneath her, hands emerge from the darkness reaching for the light while the hand of God descends to meet them. Three years later, Electa ut Sol completed the nave with a great sun at the centre of the vault, lighting the Virgin. The continuity of the sky turns both paintings into a single work that runs through the whole space.
Painted entirely in oil and adapted to the complex geometry of the vaults, it took several years of work and a close relationship between painting, architecture and iconography. More than decorating the temple, it seeks to create a contemplative experience in which the visitor lifts their gaze.
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