Combined UV and Infrared Protection in the Former St. Michael’s Monastery Church in Bamberg

The former St. Michael’s Monastery Church, with its Baroque interior, is one of the most historically and art-historically significant monuments in the UNESCO World Heritage city of Bamberg and the Franconia region. As part of the large-scale comprehensive restoration of the complex between 2012 and 2026, extensive conservation and restoration work was carried out on the high altar, the flanking panel paintings, and the choir stalls, among other elements. In the past, sunlight entering through the two directly adjacent choir windows had caused cracks in the painting surfaces, flaking paint layers, and color changes.

The search for window glass that visually matches the original glass from the time of construction while also providing protection against both UV and infrared radiation led to a DBU research project by the Lamberts Glassworks. After four years of development, the hand-blown window glass restauro®UV-IR was created; it was used for the first time worldwide in the choir windows of St. Michael’s Church and was installed as honeycomb leaded glazing.

Former St. Michael’s Monastery Church in Bamberg: World’s first use of hand-blown single-pane glass with combined UV and infrared protection: restauro®UV-IR as leaded glass in the choir windows to protect the restored Baroque altar