Structural Repair Of S. Isidore Church (Seville)

Abstract

The church of San Isidore in Seville (Spain), is a masonry structure dating from the 14th century. The works described in this paper were ordered after the collapse of part of the coffered ceiling in June 1983. The first investigation revealed that differential foundation settlements and horizontal earthquake loads had taken the structure to a situation of deterioration which could have led to its ruin in a short period of time. INTRODUCTION The church of San Isidore in Seville is a masonry construction built during the 14th century. It is located in a historical area of the city and had for centuries an influent and rich neighborhood. As a consequence it contains valuable paintings, frescos, iron works and all sorts of liturgical furnishings accumulated during the past six centuries. The church was the second or third most important one in the archdiocese of Seville which, for several centuries, was the largest and one of the richest in the Roman Catholic Church. The church of San Isidore has a basilical plan with a central nave and two aisles. Many transformations were carried out and many new elements were added throughout the centuries since it was erected. The chancel was transformed during the early 17th century by Vermondo Resta and two lateral chapels were added one century later. Several elements like the choir, the lateral atrium and the baptism chapel suffered important transformations during the 19th and 20th centuries. Another new lateral chapel was also added during these last two centuries. Transactions on the Built Environment vol 15, © 1995 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3509