St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome became a stage for dramatic images of the natural world on Tuesday evening, with photographs of lions, pandas, wolves, tigers, birds, corals, and other species stretching hundreds of feet across and up the historic cathedral’s facade.

The projections were part of a 60-minute show titled “Fiat Lux: Illuminating Our Common Home” and inspired by the pope’s recent encyclical calling for strong climate and environmental protection worldwide, according to a statement from the San Francisco agency that created the enormous projections.

It was the first time images had been projected on St. Peter’s Basilica, according to the agency, Obscura Digital, and marked the beginning of a commemorative year in Catholicism called the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.

“ ‘Laudato Si,’ the title of Pope Francis’ encyclical, means ‘Praise be to you,’ a phrase commonly used by Saint Francis, the patron saint of animals and ecology and Pope Francis’ namesake,” said Obscura Digital in a statement. “In writing his impassioned plea for greater focus on the environment, Pope Francis cited areas of particular concern: pollution and climate change, the lack of clean water for much of the world’s population, and loss of biodiversity.”
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