abstract
In addition to the surrounding climatic environment, the intrinsic characteristics of the stones used in construction are a critical factor to understand a building's conservation state and define the necessary planning and conservation management activities. The use of environmentally susceptible stones, such as carbonate stones, in heritage buildings can be especially problematic. The present investigation presents an overview of past research and contributes to identifying the types of carbonate stones used over time in Coimbra's Old Cathedral in Portugal, which was classified as a National Monument and integrated into the Coimbra World Heritage site by UNESCO. Our mineralogical and chemical analyses revealed the use of carbonate stones from different quarries (Coimbra region), including An & ccedil;& atilde; limestone and dolostone (Porta Especiosa portal), Portunhos limestone and Outil limestone (in the perimeter of windows), and marlstones and Outil limestone (side facades). These stones, which were installed at various times during the construction and alteration of the monument, represent a great challenge for conservation planning due to their intrinsic vulnerability to adverse environmental conditions and pollution.
keywords
LIMESTONE; SEDIMENTARY; CYCLES; DECAY
subject category
Arts & Humanities - Other Topics; Science & Technology - Other Topics
authors
Tavares, A; Rocha, F; Fragata, A; Costa, A; Oliveira, M
our authors
Alice Maria Tavares Alves da Costa
Assistant ResearcherProjects
CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials (UIDB/50011/2020)
CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials (UIDP/50011/2020)
Associated Laboratory CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials (LA/P/0006/2020)
Civil Engineering And Geomatics Innovative Research On Heritage (ENGINEER)
acknowledgements
This research was supported by CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, UIDB/50011/2020, UIDP/50011/2020 and LA/P/0006/2020 and DOI 10.54499/2021.03830.CEECIND/CP1659/CT0032 financed by national funds through the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) and ENGINEER-European Union's Horizon Europe Framework Programme under the grant agreement No 101079377 and the UKRI [project number 10050486] and GeoBioTec Research Centre (UIDB/04035/2020), funded by FCT.