Dating to the 13th century, the Church of Ognissanti is one of Florence, Italy's most historically and artistically significant places of worship. Home to renowned Renaissance frescoes, including Sandro Botticelli's St. Augustine in His Study, commissioned by the Vespucci family in 1480, the church continues to serve as both an active parish and a destination for visitors from around the world. Its regular schedule of liturgical services, concerts and cultural events require an audio system capable of delivering clear speech without compromising the visual integrity of the protected historic building.
Like many historic churches, Ognissanti presented significant acoustic challenges. Its 35-meter nave, high vaulted ceilings and reflective masonry surfaces created long reverberation times that reduced speech intelligibility, particularly during sermons and spoken liturgy. Preservation requirements also limited the number and placement of visible loudspeakers, making traditional distributed audio systems impractical.
A recent audio modernization centered on JBL Professional loudspeakers to improve speech intelligibility throughout the sanctuary while preserving the architectural character. Delivered by Exhibo in collaboration with the project architects and system designers, the installation combines two JBL Professional Intellivox loudspeakers covering the church's 35-meter nave with JBL Professional slim column loudspeakers positioned behind the altar to provide localized reinforcement for the presbytery.
Exhibo conducted detailed acoustic measurements, three-dimensional modeling and beam-steering simulations before specifying a minimally invasive solution built around two JBL Professional Intellivox column loudspeakers. Installed on either side of the central nave, the loudspeakers use JBL's proprietary Digital Directivity Synthesis (DDS) technology to direct sound toward the congregation while minimizing reflections from the church's walls and vaulted surfaces, delivering consistent speech coverage across the 35-meter nave. To complement the main system, JBL Professional COL800 column loudspeakers were installed behind the altar, providing dedicated coverage for the presbytery while maintaining the same discreet visual profile throughout the sanctuary.
"The goal was clear: improve speech intelligibility throughout the central nave without introducing invasive elements or multiplying sound diffusion points," says Andrea Ficara, Exhibo S.p.A Product Specialist. "Acoustic simulations enabled us to identify the optimal positions for the JBL Intellivox loudspeakers and predict how sound would behave within the liturgical space. The final solution used just two loudspeakers to effectively cover approximately 35 meters of the central nave while maintaining minimal variation in sound pressure across the different listening areas."
Following installation, the system underwent on-site tuning to refine beam steering and optimize performance within the church's unique acoustic environment. The resulting installation provides natural speech reproduction for worship services while remaining visually discreet, allowing visitors to focus on the architecture and liturgy rather than the technology itself.
“By combining advanced beam-steering technology with careful acoustic planning, the Church of Ognissanti now benefits from a sound system that complements rather than alters its historic architecture,” JBL’s announcement states. “Centered on just two JBL Professional Intellivox loudspeakers covering the nave, with dedicated JBL COL800 loudspeakers reinforcing the altar area, the installation demonstrates how a minimal number of carefully positioned loudspeakers can deliver consistent speech intelligibility while preserving the cultural and architectural significance of historic houses of worship.”
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