Academic literature on the topic 'Duomo di Alatri (Italy)'

In the last decade a re-discovering of the construction techniques and materials belonging to ancient buildings and heritage has grown up.Professionals and researchers have made a strong effort to understand resisting mechanisms in masonry buildings, trying to evaluate the safety factor in presence of vertical and horizontal seismic loads. As a consequence, innovative techniques and materials, as the FRCM, have been introduced to prevent local and global collapse mechanism, increasing the safety of the overall structure.The special cases of “Duomo of Colorno” and the “Braidense Library”, in Italy, are here presented.The XVIII century masonry vaults of the Duomo widely suffered due to a seismic event occurred in 2012 and a relevant crack pattern appeared.A similar situation occurred for the barrel vault of the Braidense Library due to settlement of foundations.In both cases, in order to restore the global resistance of the building, some consolidation interventions have been proposed.One of those is represented by a FRCM net applied on the upper side of the vaults. The system makes use of a carbon bi-directional fiber net inserted in an inorganic pozzolanic matrix, fully compatible with the ancient masonry support.A numerical non-linear analysis of the cathedral and of the barrel vault of the Braidense Library has demonstrated an increment up to 25% in the value of the horizontal loads that cause the formation of the first cracks, if compared with the non-consolidated situation.Furthermore, besides this passive fiber intervention, an innovative active technique called “RAM – Reinforced Arch Method” was applied on the vaults of the Duomo. The use of post-tensioned steel cables, added to the FRCM net, led to a strong increase of the horizontal collapse load.Carbon fibers are able to induce a strong increase in the resistance of the masonry under the tensile stresses caused by seismic loads, avoiding the formation of cracks or plastic hinges.Several tests have been performed on FRCM, according to Standards.In tensile and lap-tensile strength tests, the stress-strain behavior of C-FRCM control coupon specimens is bi-linear as expected. The initial branch of the curve corresponds to the un-cracked specimen, followed by a second branch with a reduced slope, corresponding to the crack specimen.The primary failure mode of the C-FRCM coupon specimens was slippage of the fibers after multiple cracking throughout the length of the specimen, perpendicular to the direction of the load, secondary de-bonding failure mode located at the tab ends was observed in some cases.Furthermore, all tensile and lap-tensile strength coupon tests passed the conditions of acceptance as per the requirements regarding environmental exposure to Freezing and Thawing, and Aging.

Marbles from Alpine area have been widely employed to build and decorate masterpieces and buildings which often represent the cultural heritage of an area (statuary, historic buildings and sculptures). Candoglia marble, object of the present research, is one of the most famous and appreciated marbles from Alpine area; it has been quarried since Roman times in the Verbano-Cusio-Ossola (VCO; Piemonte – NW Italy) extractive area. Candoglia Marble outcrops are present as lenses within the high-grade paragneisses of the Ivrea Zone, a visible section of deep continental crust characterised by amphibolite- to granulite-facies metamorphism (Palaeozoic period). Candoglia calcitic marble (80–85% CaCO3 and the 15–20% other minerals) shows a characteristic pink to gray colour and a coarse-grained texture (>3 mm): frequent centimetre-thick dark-greenish silicate layers (mainly represented by diopside and tremolite) characterize the texture of the marble. It has been largely used in local rural constructions and historical buildings, but its most famous application has been (and still is) for the “Duomo di Milano” construction (fourteenth century). The Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano carried out the anthropogenic activities dealing with the Candoglia marble exploitation; it has to be highlighted that the company have managed the Marble exploitation during the last seven centuries and that the quarry itself is a tangible sign of the development of extraction and heritage in the VCO area. Candoglia marble can be recognized as a significant example of a “Global Heritage Stone Resource”: its exploitation from quarry to building (the Duomo di Milano) well represents the close correlation between stone and cultural heritage, between georesources and humankind development

The Bomarzo Cathedral, also known as the Duomo di Bomarzo, is a remarkable historical and architectural masterpiece situated in Bomarzo (VT), Italy. Constructed in the 16th century under the sponsorship of the Orsini family, the cathedral’s design is a harmonious blend of Renaissance and Baroque styles. Despite enduring numerous challenges, including damage from the Italian Wars, extensive restoration efforts were undertaken to preserve its cultural legacy. Driven by a deep appreciation of the cathedral’s historical context, a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) investigation was deployed to gain insights into its foundations and potentially uncover buried remains beneath the floor and altar. The GPR investigation focused on the cathedral’s interior, specifically the central and left naves, altar, and oratory. This revealed the presence of disclosed rectangular chambers beneath the floor and altar, along with unique foundation structures. These findings, coupled with historical insights and architectural understanding, emphasize the cathedral’s cultural importance.

AbstractThe Verbano–Cusio–Ossola quarrying district (Piedmont, northern Italy) produces many different ornamental stones (granites, gneisses, marbles); two important categories are represented by Serizzo and Beola gneisses. The Serizzo, a group of foliated orthogneisses, is the most important and extensively exploited ornamental stone, largely used to produce columns since the end of fifteenth century and used for many parts of the Duomo di Milano. Beola is the name of a group of heterogeneous orthogneisses with mylonitic foliation and strong mineralogical lineation, easy to split into thin slabs with hammer and chisel, occurring in the middle Ossola Valley. The quarries of Beola are probably the oldest of the Ossola Valley (since the Roman period), and the Beola trade probably started at the end of the thirteenth century. In general, Beola and Serizzo gneisses have been used for ornamental purposes and for the construction of churches, palaces and monuments, widely documented in many towns and villages of the Ossola Valley and in northern Italy. This contribution reviews the history and distinctiveness of these materials, their importance in local and national culture, and their present international diffusion. Both stones are recommended as Global Heritage Stone Resources within a Global Heritage Stone Province.

Heritage buildings and the precious artworks contained therein, represent inestimable cultural and artistic evidence from the past that must be properly preserved for future generations. In the last decades, climate change has gained relevance and is becoming crucial to assess the building performance under such effect to provide timely mitigation actions to preserve our cultural heritage. In this regard, this paper outlines a method that combines different experimental activities and tools to forecast possible future risks due to climate change for the conservation of the artworks and provide its application in a relevant case study in Italy, the Duomo di Milano. In detail, the suggested method consists of the monitoring of the building indoor climate to validate a simulation model, defining possible future scenarios based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projections, and evaluation of the future conservation risks of the main artworks. The results of the analysis carried out, show that for some artworks (e.g., stone sculptures, some organic materials, etc.), the conservation conditions will not worsen compared to the current situation, while for others (e.g., paintings, wooden objects, etc.) the risk of deterioration is expected to increase substantially. This study helps to understand how the future climate can affect the indoor environment of a huge masonry building and allow to plan targeted mitigation strategies aimed to reduce the future risks.

The indoor climate of non-climatized churches is usually subject to cyclical fluctuations of temperature and relative humidity induced by external climate conditions which might be dampened by the high thermal capacity of their envelope. However, several phenomena affect their indoor climate (e.g., internal gains due to people and artificial lighting, air infiltration, etc.), which lead to environmental variations that might jeopardize the artworks contained within. In particular, one of the most influential parameters that may affect non-climatized churches is the massive and intermittent presence of people who constantly visit their spaces. In such regard, long-term monitoring allows the collection of environmental data with different building operation conditions and visitor fluxes. This paper analyses the indoor climate of the Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano) in Italy for three continuous years (including the lockdown period that occurred in 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic), with a focus on visitors’ effects on the indoor environment and the conservation of the main artworks contained within. The results of the analysis have shown that spaces with huge volume are most influenced by the opening of the doors rather than the hygrothermal contribution of the intermittent presence of massive crowds. Moreover, the absence of visitors for a prolonged period correlates with an improvement in the indoor conservation conditions for artworks, especially those made of hygroscopic materials, due to the reduction in short, rapid climate fluctuations.

Статья посвящена проблемам происхождения архитектуры двух знаменитых памятников архитектуры Владимиро-Суздальского княжества времени князя Андрея Юрьевича Боголюбского: церкви Покрова на Нерли и церкви Рождества Богородицы в Боголюбове. Оба эти белокаменных храма не имеют точной даты; вероятно, они были сооружены в первой половине правления князя Андрея. Церковь Покрова сохранилась очень хорошо, а от первоначальной архитектуры церкви Рождества Богородицы остались только частично открытые основания стен и столбов. Автор уже опубликовал статью, в которой рассматриваются связи архитектуры церкви Покрова с архитектурой собора в Модене (область Эмилия). Но формами из Модены арсенал архитекторов церкви Покрова не исчерпывается. Здесь есть следы работы мастеров из иной области Северной Италии, Ломбардии. Таким характерным формам церкви Покрова и церкви Рождества, как колонки на абсидах, аркатурно-колончатые пояса наверху этих абсид, а также самой форме аркатурно-колончатого пояса на консолях находятся аналоги в соборах восточной Ломбардии (и западной Эмилии): в Лоди, Кремоне, Пьяченце, а также в Бергамо. Там же можно найти параллели и источники для таких редких форм церкви Рождества, как пилястры с фланкирующими колонками и крупные круглые столбы. The article examines the origins of the architecture of two famous churches built in the Vladimir-Suzdal' Principality during the reign of Andrey Bogolyubsky: the churches of the Intercession on the Nerl' and of the Nativity of the Theotokos in Bogolyubovo. For both of these limestone churches, precise construction date is unknown; they must have been built in the first half of Andrey's reign. While the church of the Intercession has survived almost intact, that of the Nativity of the Theotokos almost completely perished, except for the partially uncovered bases of the walls and pillars. In one of his previous articles the author examined the architectural connections between the church of the Intercession and the Duomo di Modena (region Emilia-Romagna). But this is not the only formal connection linking the church to Italy. The arsenal of techniques made use of by the architects of the church of the Intercession reveals the influence from Lombardy, another region of Northern Italy. Such characteristic elements of both Russian churches as engaged columns on the apses, blind arcades at the top of the apses and the very form of this arcading on the consoles have their counterparts in the cathedrals of eastern Lombardy and western Emilia-Romagna - namely, in Lodi, Cremona, Piacenza and Bergamo. The same areas provide a lot of counterparts and direct sources for such rare elements of the church of the Nativity's architecture as pilasters flanked by engaged colums and large round pillars.

This excellent congress took place between 31st May–3rd June 2023 in the beautiful city of Milan, Italy, featuring the stunning church of Duomo di Milano in the centre of the city. The congress covered all topics of Rheumatology. During the opening plenary session, Annamaria Iagnocco, European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) President, presented EULAR’s new strategy and its key priorities.

The application of Non-Destructive testing and Structural Health Monitoring systems in historical buildings is of great interest and actuality due to the need to guarantee safety and conservation. The present memory focuses on the case study of the historical wrought iron tie-rods of Duomo di Milano, Italy. In recent years, two of these elements presented critical failures, making necessary the replacement. Consequently, a monitoring methodology, based on acoustic emission, was defined. First, the fracture toughness of historical wrought iron was experimentally characterized by employing standard small scale specimens taken from one of the failed tie-rods. At the same time, acoustic emission was acquired to define a methodology for detecting and localizing the events due to damage in the material, separating those due to background noise by applying suitable pattern recognition algorithms. Subsequently, a tensile test was performed on a full scale section of the same tie-rod. Before and after the test, phased-array ultrasonic testing and magnetic particles inspections were carried out to identify and map defects and their possible development due to load application. From the analysis, it was possible to conclude that magnetic inspections allow identifying the presence of surface defects effectively, phased-array ultrasonic testing allows to estimate the geometry of the defect accurately and acoustic emission has proved to be a promising technique for monitoring the structural integrity of in-service historical metallic tie-rods. EWGAE 35, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 13th – 16th Sep. www.ewg

Duccio’s Maestà, made between 1308 and 1311 for the high altar of Siena Cathedral, is one of the best-known works of medieval painting. Astoundingly complex, with dozens of individual fields and several narrative cycles, it measured around 15 feet or four meters square. It was, and long remained, the largest panel painting ever made. But why did its designers reach so far outside the bounds of normal altarpieces, and why did they stretch the media of panel painting to new heights? Replacing Duccio’s Maestà within its original Trecento context demonstrates that the altarpiece cannot be explained by either earlier Cathedral images or by earlier Marian panel paintings made for monastic churches, whose imagery the Maestà appropriated but drastically expanded. Instead, the creation of Duccio’s Maestà comes into clearer focus when understood in its original setting, the civic Cathedral. Santa Maria della Assunta comprised not just its particular physical space, but a political and economic one. Duccio’s Maestà interacted with the specific, material building, especially the Cathedral’s unique hexagonal crossing and its dense green-black and white stripes; both features may have contributed to a reading of the Maestà’s central Virgin as a symbol for Ecclesia, occupying her own Temple of Solomon. But the Maestà also crucially served as the backdrop to the city’s biggest annual holiday, the Feast of the Assumption. Though generally characterized by scholars as a unifying event, the Feast was in fact a means of social control, regulated by the state, where participation was enforced by law and on point of fine, and whose main event was the legally mandated presentation of candles to the Virgin in the Cathedral. Moreover, Duccio’s high altarpiece was commissioned during a troubled period: threatened by plotting nobles, and having steered the city through a sensitive election for a new bishop, the Government of the Nine was increasingly intent on regulating the Assumption Feast and the Cathedral’s commissioning body, the Opera del Duomo, which was largely funded through the wax donated on the Assumption. Confronted by unique pressures, Duccio and his unknown potential collaborators created unique solutions, contextualizing popular Marian imagery within the Cathedral’s theological and political concerns through the use of elaborate narrative cycles. Faced with the puzzle of fitting an entire image program onto a panel painting, Duccio privileged a coherent spatial setting, drawn largely through carefully-depicted architecture, that allowed him to keep figure size constant and that therefore to create a smooth spatio-temporal reading of the altarpiece; his arragement of the narrative scenes allowed for new meanings and cross-readings; Duccio further used different perspectival constructions to direct the viewer’s reading of the altarpiece. Duccio thus turned painting’s limitation, its lack of time, into a strength, showing new ways in which images could be deployed to interpret narrative; he also spurred a long conversation among artists on the very nature of their medium and what, exactly, it could accomplish: Within 40 years, four altarpieces, occasioned again by architecture, were commissioned for the Cathedral’s patronal altars. Located near to Duccio’s high altarpiece, these altarpieces would reflect their artists’ reception of Duccio’s Maestà. These radical works by Simone Martini and Lippo Memmi, Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti, and Bartolommeo Bulgarini include the first narrative altarpiece and probably the first painting to pretend it is a view through a window in Western art. Above all, the patronal altarpieces demonstrate an interest in narrative, played out in the depiction of time and an attendant depiction of commensurate pictorial space.