970x125
More than 3,000 drones lit up the night sky above the Vatican, forming images of the Virgin Mary, Pope Francis and Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam” in a spectacle over St. Peter’s Basilica.
More than 80,000 people packed St. Peter’s Square on Saturday night for the high-tech display, which was staged by Nova Sky Stories — a company owned by Elon Musk’s brother Kimbal Musk.
The drones formed halos, doves of peace, glowing hearts and a portrait of the late Pope Francis above the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica.
It followed a mega-concert co-directed by Andrea Bocelli and Pharrell Williams.
The Grace for the World concert closed out the World Meeting on Human Fraternity 2025, a two-day summit drawing global leaders, artists and activists to the Vatican.
Performers included John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, Karol G, the gospel choir Voices of Fire and Bocelli.
As Bocelli sang “Amazing Grace,” the drones assembled into the face of Pope Francis, drawing silence before the crowd erupted in applause.
Williams opened the show by thanking Pope Leo XIV for “reminding us that true compassion and grace begin with fraternity.”
He urged the crowd to “galvanize” and see humanity’s shared strength “far beyond the reaches and constrictions of different religions.”
As the music ended, the drone fleet rose above the Sistine Chapel, breaking centuries of tradition with a choreographed light show.
The display capped a two-day conference where global leaders, academics, entrepreneurs and activists met at 15 roundtables to discuss ways to promote human fraternity.
Their proposals were unveiled during Saturday’s Human Assembly, described by organizers as the launch of an international synodal process on fraternity.
Organizers said the concert and drone show was meant to be a unifying finale, blending religious tradition with modern technology before a global audience.
Cardinals, clerics, and activists including Graça Machel Mandela delivered speeches on unity and peace between performances.
Nova Sky Stories spent nearly two years planning the display, securing rare Vatican access after Francis’ death and the election of Leo XIV.
The company built and programmed all 3,500 lightweight drones in-house, cycling 3,000 at a time while others recharged on hidden Vatican train tracks and parking lots.
Each 12-ounce drone can generate 16 million colors, using real-time GPS and radio signals to lock into place with pinpoint precision.
If a drone drifted off course, it was programmed to either find its way back, return to base, or shut off safely before hitting the ground.
Nova executives compared the drones to Michelangelo’s paintbrushes, calling them a new medium for large-scale art.
Kimbal Musk told National Geographic that his goal was not just to “blow people away with drones” but to move them emotionally, adding, “If we can make grandma cry…Yeah, you want to touch their emotions.”
Chief strategy officer Don Degnan told National Geographic that pairing the Sistine Chapel’s Old World art with Nova’s high-tech display delivered “immersive art at a crazy scale.”
