Lux Populi: Edicole Sacre as Vernacular Lighting Infrastructure in Pre-Electric Rome

Abstract

This article proposes an analytical paradigm shift by regarding Roman edicole sacre shrines not just as devotional elements but also as early pre-electric urban infrastructure. With a methodology of five vectors, the role of this network is evaluated holistically within Rome’s historic fabric. The results show that these vernacular light sources served as a wayfinding system and had a deterrent function with regard to community safety. Their placement strategically resolved morphological street conflicts and generated micro-squares by means of focused lighting. The analysis also documents an alarming deterioration of this heritage: over half of the network has disappeared or is normally unlit. The article concludes that safeguarding these traces of the past requires reinstating their original lighting function so as to restore the night to the city inhabitants.