Seismic analysis methods of ancient masonry churches in Matera

Different seismic assessment methods for masonry buildings has been developed in Italy starting from the numerous damage surveys performed immediately after the recent earthquakes. These methods differ from each other for the number and completeness of available information as the structural details of primary elements and the material properties. In this paper a critical review of the seismic assessment methods adopted by the Italian Guidelines on Cultural Heritage is presented. At this aim, some masonry churches located in the Sassi di Matera UNESCO site are analysed. The study compares the obtained results and discusses the utility of the applied methods, in relation to the possible results that can be achieved.