The optical properties of sol-gel prepared Cerium doped Lutetium and Yttrium oxyorthosilicates are investigated in the vacuum ultraviolet energy range by means of synchrotron radiation. The excitation and emission properties are compared to commercial samples grown by Czochralski method. The sol gel polycrystals do show emission features comparable to the ones of the monocrystals but with a slightly smaller decay time. Preliminary radioluminescence measurements indicate the possibility to apply the sol gel synthesized polycrystals as scintillating materials in the low X-ray energy range. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.