The church of the Hundred Saints, now better known as the Crypt of the Original Sin, is located in the gorge “Gravina di Picciano”, about ten kilometers from Matera. The rock church and its decorations, dated back to the ninth century, were in critical condition when it was discovered and later acquired by the Zetema Foundation of Matera. In 2000, a monitoring project was started under the scientific direction of Michele D'Elia, and is still ongoing in collaboration with specialists from the ICR (now ISCR), from UniromaTre, and various technical experts. The project aimed to design a conservation plan and to find solutions not only for the specific problems, but also to develop a protocol for the conservation and maintenance of similar rock-art sites. The wall paintings were colonized by different microorganisms and showed problems of salt efflorescence and carbonatation. A program was set up to control bio-growth, carry out characterization of materials, test treatment products and perform interventions to resolve the site’s conservation problems. After concluding conservation treatment in 2004, two check-up and maintenance interventions followed in 2010 and 2017. These involved evaluating new degradation phenomena, the efficacy of biocidal products, the new cleaning method and the validity of the treatment choices adopted.
Zuliani, I., Bartoli, F., Mazzeschi, D., Giovagnoli, A.M., Caneva, G. (2018). A rock church preventive conservation project: the case study of the Crypt of one hundred Saints in Matera. In Dialogues in Cultural heritage (pp.345-348). Matera : Yococu CNR-IBAM.
A rock church preventive conservation project: the case study of the Crypt of one hundred Saints in Matera
Bartoli F.;Caneva G.
2018-01-01
Abstract
The church of the Hundred Saints, now better known as the Crypt of the Original Sin, is located in the gorge “Gravina di Picciano”, about ten kilometers from Matera. The rock church and its decorations, dated back to the ninth century, were in critical condition when it was discovered and later acquired by the Zetema Foundation of Matera. In 2000, a monitoring project was started under the scientific direction of Michele D'Elia, and is still ongoing in collaboration with specialists from the ICR (now ISCR), from UniromaTre, and various technical experts. The project aimed to design a conservation plan and to find solutions not only for the specific problems, but also to develop a protocol for the conservation and maintenance of similar rock-art sites. The wall paintings were colonized by different microorganisms and showed problems of salt efflorescence and carbonatation. A program was set up to control bio-growth, carry out characterization of materials, test treatment products and perform interventions to resolve the site’s conservation problems. After concluding conservation treatment in 2004, two check-up and maintenance interventions followed in 2010 and 2017. These involved evaluating new degradation phenomena, the efficacy of biocidal products, the new cleaning method and the validity of the treatment choices adopted.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
