Evaluación sísmica de la Iglesia del Purgatorio Matera-Italia

Italy is a country threatened by a constant action of seismic events, where many lives have been lost and the heritage has been destroyed. The world- wide activities on conservation of constructions with historical and cultural value, are not entirely organized nor frequent. Most of the time, the money goes to activities of a more urgent nature, greatly affecting the field of heritage protection. According to the map of seismic hazard, Matera is located in zone number 3, corresponding to a medium hazard, which makes it susceptible to seismic action. Matera is classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site by "I Sassi e il parco delle chiese rupestri di Matera" since 1993; Within this urban landscape, the Church of Purgatory located in the historic center of the city, was the first and only complete work with a baroque style in the Basilicata region and its decoration reflects the theme of death, the redemption of souls and eternal life. In the development of this study, the seismic safety of the Church of Purgatory was evaluated, by applying the first level of service for the evaluation and reduction of the seismic risk proposed in the "Linea guida per la valutazione e riduzione del rischio sismico-2010". This guide includes aspects such as knowledge of the church, historical review, architectural identification, identification of structure and materials, historical analysis of events and interventions, inspection process, mechanical characterization of materials, review of safety and conservation requirements, level of knowledge, confidence factor and finally the definition of seismic action. In this way, the most vulnerable conditions were identified in reference to the church's safety index and defining a safety character in relation to the service's limit states for the safeguarding of people's lives and the decrease in damage.