On the main causes of the degradation of cultural heritages hosted in Apulian rupestrian settlements ABSTRACT: After the downfall of the ancient Roman Empire in a large part of Mediterranean area and specially in Apulia Region (Southern Italy) widespread rupestrian settlements appear. In Apulia this phenomenon, which started at the begin of VI century, has continued until our days. There are a lot of rupestrian sites all over the Apulia Region that host a large important cultural and historical heritage unique all over the world. This heritage is formed by holy architecture and wall paintings hosted in many rupestrian churches or basilica or simple prayer grottoes. There are thousands of frescoes of different pictorial cycles, painted from the VI to the XV century, which can be considered masterpieces of European medieval art. This important Cultural Heritage is subject to a severe deterioration due to chemical, physical, mechanical and biological causes often interrelated. The degradation processes have been different also in the small space of the same site and/or of the same church. They are conditioned by petrographic, physical and mechanical characters of the calcareous sandstone: rock cementation degree and its structure and fabric. An important role is played by the micro-climate conditions existing in the different type of grottoes. They are responsible of the important de-cohesion phenomena involving the superficial part of the rock of the caves; of the disfiguring effect connected to physicochemical rock degradation processes (rock decalcification, chocking, dissolution and hydrating of the rock) by means of water oozing from the rock. To the degradation effects contribute also the small but detrimental activity of rock joints. Special attention has to be given to frescoes affected by processes of decalcification and gypsification. The movement, towards the surface, of water rich in carbonates and other salts (such as sulphates, nitrates) arouses patinas and plaques more or less thick enclosing carbon particles and biofilms formed by pervasive algue, musk, lichen and fungi colonies that damage the paintings.

Principali cause del degrado del cospicuo patrimonio artistico ospitato dagli insediamenti rupestri della Puglia.

GRASSI, Damiano;GRIMALDI, Salvatore;
2006-01-01

Abstract

On the main causes of the degradation of cultural heritages hosted in Apulian rupestrian settlements ABSTRACT: After the downfall of the ancient Roman Empire in a large part of Mediterranean area and specially in Apulia Region (Southern Italy) widespread rupestrian settlements appear. In Apulia this phenomenon, which started at the begin of VI century, has continued until our days. There are a lot of rupestrian sites all over the Apulia Region that host a large important cultural and historical heritage unique all over the world. This heritage is formed by holy architecture and wall paintings hosted in many rupestrian churches or basilica or simple prayer grottoes. There are thousands of frescoes of different pictorial cycles, painted from the VI to the XV century, which can be considered masterpieces of European medieval art. This important Cultural Heritage is subject to a severe deterioration due to chemical, physical, mechanical and biological causes often interrelated. The degradation processes have been different also in the small space of the same site and/or of the same church. They are conditioned by petrographic, physical and mechanical characters of the calcareous sandstone: rock cementation degree and its structure and fabric. An important role is played by the micro-climate conditions existing in the different type of grottoes. They are responsible of the important de-cohesion phenomena involving the superficial part of the rock of the caves; of the disfiguring effect connected to physicochemical rock degradation processes (rock decalcification, chocking, dissolution and hydrating of the rock) by means of water oozing from the rock. To the degradation effects contribute also the small but detrimental activity of rock joints. Special attention has to be given to frescoes affected by processes of decalcification and gypsification. The movement, towards the surface, of water rich in carbonates and other salts (such as sulphates, nitrates) arouses patinas and plaques more or less thick enclosing carbon particles and biofilms formed by pervasive algue, musk, lichen and fungi colonies that damage the paintings.
2006
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
Principali cause del degrado del cospicuo patrimonio artistico ospitato dagli.pdf

accesso aperto

Tipologia: Documento in Post-print
Licenza: DRM non definito
Dimensione 2.02 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
2.02 MB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11563/20564
 Attenzione

Attenzione! I dati visualizzati non sono stati sottoposti a validazione da parte dell'ateneo

Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus ND
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
social impact