Main Nave Research Articles

Why Are the Early Gothic Murals in St. Jacob’s Church in Ormož, Slovenia, Almost Entirely Black?

In St. Jacob’s parish church in Ormož, Slovenia, mural paintings from around 1350–1370 are partially conserved in the northeastern corner of the main nave. They are almost completely black, indicating a large-scale pigment degradation. They were studied as a part of a larger research project aiming to identify materials applied and their possible degradation. First, they were studied in situ, and next, extracted samples of plaster, pigments, and colour layers were analysed by optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, SEM-EDS, and XRD. Haematite, green earth, malachite, azurite, and tenorite were identified, showing that azurite and perhaps also malachite degraded to black tenorite, probably due to their fine grinding and their application directly on the fresh plaster. The plaster is made with small and large amounts of aggregate with mostly quartz with some impurities, which makes it fragile. The original appearance of these murals was of bright blue and green colours.

Photogrammetry-aided numerical seismic assessment of historical structures composed of adobe, stone and brick masonry. Application to the San Juan Bautista Church built on the Inca temple of Huaytará, Peru

This research presents a cost-effective surveying methodology to assist the seismic assessment of complex heritage buildings, based on terrestrial structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry. The method was applied to the study of the seismic performance of the church of San Juan Bautista – Inca temple of Huaytará, Peru, an emblematic case study due to its complex architecture and coexistence of different construction materials. The geometrical model for the seismic assessment was developed with an error of less than 2 % using SfM photogrammetry. Non-linear static pushover analyses were performed on 3D FEM models of the nave and the towers to evaluate their individual response under seismic loading. Mechanical properties of different structural materials of the church were evaluated based on laboratory experimental tests on mortar and adobe, contemporary and ancient fired brick, Inca stone, colonial stone and rubble stone units. Non-linear pushover analyses were conducted in four directions perpendicular to the perimeter walls, and the response of the structure was compared with the seismic demand specified in Peruvian Standards. The simulations show that damage-prone areas are the western and eastern facades, with cracking at the connections between orthogonal walls, as well as at the interface of adobe masonry with Inca stone masonry. The towers exhibit similar seismic response, with lower strength capacities compared to the main nave. In this case, flexural overturning mechanisms and cracking at the interface between stone and adobe masonry were observed. The displacement-based seismic assessment using the N2 method shows that a peak ground acceleration of 0.21 g could lead to the collapse of the north and south facades of the main nave. The towers showed a much smaller capacity with PGA leading to collapse of approximately 0.09 g. Overall, this study contributes to the understanding of the seismic performance of the Huaytará-Huancavelica church, highlighting vulnerabilities and providing valuable information for its preservation and future interventions. Future investigations should focus on on-site tests that will allow the estimation of the effect of existing damage on the structural response and their incorporation in the numerical model.

The Presentation of the Lamb: The Prothesis and Preparatory Rites of the Coptic Liturgy by Ramez Mikhail

Reviewed by: The Presentation of the Lamb: The Prothesis and Preparatory Rites of the Coptic Liturgy by Ramez Mikhail Michael Meshreki Ramez Mikhail The Presentation of the Lamb: The Prothesis and Preparatory Rites of the Coptic Liturgy Münster: Aschendorff Verlag, 2020 487 pages. Paperback. €59. Ramez Mikhail's The Presentation of the Lamb: The Prothesis and Preparatory Rites of the Coptic Liturgy justly finds a place alongside Robert Taft's masterpiece, The Great Entrance. Where Taft considered the evolution of the commencement rites of the Byzantine liturgical tradition, Mikhail examines the scarce resources available to identify key elements of the commencement rites in the Coptic Orthodox tradition, which in Coptic circles is now described as the presentation of the lamb. Mikhail is first of all concerned with the ritual offering of gifts and the placement of this in the ancient rites compared to the current one. In the present-day Coptic Rite, an altar server simply bakes the korban (offering) on the same day of the liturgy, leaving it just outside the sanctuary ready for use. The Canons of Shenoute of Atripe (c. 347–465) and the Didascalia Arabica (c. twelfth century), among other sources, confirm that the congregation in fact brought their gifts and offerings to the church, and from amongst these "one blameless lamb" was chosen for the offering (55–68). In the first millennium, in what is now referred to as the "old ordo," these gifts were brought in by the people and kept in a separate location called a pastophorion, until they were needed for the anaphora and the subsequent prayers. This is attested in the Didascalia Apostolorum, the Apostolic Constitutions, and the Historia Ecclesiastica of Theodoret (68–78). Prothesis chambers (pastophoria) were common in Egyptian monasteries, even though they were sealed off from the central apse and only accessed through the main nave, as seen in the White Monastery church (82–88). [End Page 114] The author describes the transfer of the gifts from the pastophorion to the altar. In the current rite, the transfer occurs before the kiss of peace and before the word is read in the presence of the catechumens. According to the description of the Eucharistic liturgy in the First Apology of Justin Martyr, the presentation of the gifts to the presider took place after the kiss of peace. Other sources establish that this transfer of gifts happened immediately preceding the anaphora, contrary to what has happened since the end of the tenth century (92–94, 108–109). Through an "intermediate phase/ordo," the current "new ordo" dominated in Egypt by the end of the thirteenth century, resulting in the gifts being chosen and placed on the altar much earlier in the rite, whilst segments of psalms were sung according to the liturgical season (109–115, 117–122). In rites that have undergone a change in the manner of preparing the gifts "from an adjacent pastophorion to the altar, such as the West-Syriac, Coptic, and Ethiopian Rites, an elaborate rite of altar preparation developed," in the sixth, eighth to tenth, and twelfth centuries respectively (141–153). One of the first indicators for this transition can be traced to Severus of Antioch (d. 538), who recognized in his writings both the old and new ordos (151). After choosing the lamb, the washing commonly called the "baptism," and a "procession of the lamb" occur preceding a processional psalm (175–253). This procession is most likely the remnant of the old ordo procession from the pastophorion back to the altar, and this is perhaps the reason why during this the deacons remember those who have brought their gifts to the Lord (242–247). The priest then prays a Trinitarian berakot, followed by a thanksgiving prayer, which is a uniquely Egyptian element found only in the Melkite Anaphora of St. Mark, making some scholars suggest the origin of the prayer to be St. Mark himself, due to the popularity and the frequent use of the prayer in the Alexandrian tradition (257–305). The evolution of the rites of the presentation of the lamb, the uniquely Egyptian "shine your face" prothesis and epiclesis prayer, the covering of the gifts, and the absolutions, are finally...

Simplified Seismic Assessment of a 16th Century Church and Cloister in Morelia, Mexico

ABSTRACT The Saint Agustin Church, built in the 16th century in Morelia City, is composed of a single nave church and two-level cloister and it is in a region of high seismicity at the south part of Mexico. Currently, the church presents cracks in the main nave and in the monumental staircase of the cloister. This study reports the current damage state of this building and analyzes a simplified model to assess its seismic performance. A model of the temple and cloister was created with macro elements using the rigid element methodology and conducting nonlinear time history analysis on simplified models of significant portions of the church. The model was subjected to a suite of real accelerograms recorded during the September 19, 2017 earthquake (Mw 7.1) with epicenter in Morelos State in Mexico. The results agree satisfactorily with the current damage and cracking patterns observed in the building and a negligible effect was found when both horizontal and vertical components of the seismic records were simultaneously applied. It is concluded that simplified models are a suitable alternative to study this type of structures, even in the case of nave-cloister interaction during strong earthquakes, action that it is usually disregarded in numerical models.

Seismic Behavior for the Main Nave and Cloister of an XVIII Century Masonry Convent in Morelia, Mexico

In this paper, the seismic behavior of the main nave and cloister of the Guadalupe Church and San Diego Convent is studied, a structure dating from the 18th century and built in the historic center of the city of Morelia, Mexico, considering a set of 9 real seismic acceleration records of September 19 2017 earthquake obtained at seismic stations located near the epicenter but at almost 100 kilometers from this building, which were used first without any scale factor and then a scale factor was applied to reach the expected maximum peak accelerations of the ground at the site for probabilistic return periods of 475 years and 975 years.

Sources for the history of Saints Peter and Paul Garrison Church (the former Jesuit Church) discovered in the funds of Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv


 
 
 The article analyzes the sources on the history of Saints Peter and Paul Garrison Church (the former Jesuit Church) discovered in the funds of Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv. In particular, the documents that are of practical importance for the process of church revitalization as the building remained closed from 1946 until 2011 are distinguished. The significant corpus of sources concerning the church history is the archive of Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv, the depository of which was located in the church until the end of 2011. With these documents, it is possible to trace the history of the church building during the Soviet time and the changes that happened during this period. Moreover, the collection of photographic materials with the depiction of different parts of the church constitutes a significant corpus of sources. This information is valuable for the conservation professionals working on the renewal of church exteriors and interiors. Particularly, the photographs that show the process of the roof restoration in 1959 offer an opportunity to assess the degree of the ceiling destruction during the Second World War. Photographs of the frescoes in the main nave demonstrate the state of the ceiling and frescos as of the beginning of the 20th century and therefore give an insight into the progress of conservation works during the interwar period. The analysis of the photograph of the altar of Saint Stanislaw Kostka makes it possible to understand what one of the three chapels in the church looked like. The other two chapels (of the Virgin Mary and Saint Stanislaw Kostka) will be restored in course of time. As for the third chapel of Saint Benedict the Martyr, important documents concerning the restoration of this chapel at the beginning of the 20th century are stored in the funds of the library. With these documents, it is possible to specify the appearance of the chapel and the peculiarities of its decorations, as the chapel does not belong to the church nowadays. To sum up, it can be stated that the funds of Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv contain a relatively small amount of materials on the history of Saints Peter and Paul Garrison Church (the Jesuit Church). At the same time, some of them are important for the studies of the history of the church, so they deserve attention from the researchers.
 
 

El cancel de la Iglesia de San Marcos de León

In the year 1749 the convent of San Marcos of León decided to build a new lattice gato in the church to separate the presbitery from the main nave; the principal intention was to create a sumptuous work. With this aim, it was made ara iron and bronze grille with barroque characteristics, on a pedestal of colours marble, charged to the architect Blas Suárez Gavilanes and finished by Sancho Menéndez, according to the documentation.

Encuentros y desencuentros con la frontera imperial: la iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús de Quito y la misión en el Amazonas (siglo XVII) by Carmen Fernández-Salvador

Reviewed by: Encuentros y desencuentros con la frontera imperial: la iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús de Quito y la misión en el Amazonas (siglo XVII) by Carmen Fernández-Salvador Isabel Oleas-Mogollón Fernández-Salvador, Carmen. Encuentros y desencuentros con la frontera imperial: la iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús de Quito y la misión en el Amazonas (siglo xvii). Iberoamericana / Vervuet, 2018. 215 pp. ISBN: 978-84-16922-61-1. This book studies the seventeenth-century decorative program of the Jesuit church in Quito —mainly the paintings of Old Testament prophets displayed in the main nave— in connection to contemporary narratives about the missionary work of the Society of Jesus in the Amazon basin. Fernández-Salvador’s main argument is that both paintings and texts presented the Amazon as a marginal and barbarous place, and defined the city of Quito as the center of civility, religious virtue, and of spiritual and political authority. She also posits that images and texts framed Quito’s Jesuit college and its members as the legitimate leaders of the evangelizing enterprise. Her investigation ends in 1684, a year that witnessed the publication of Manuel Rodríguez’s detailed narrative of the Jesuit missions in the Amazon as well as the ending of the first Jesuit missionary campaign. This chronological boundary helps Fernández-Salvador focus mainly on the analysis of the Prophets, but seems forced when considering the Society of Jesus’s lingering views about its missionary role. Even so, the author’s careful examination of religious texts certainly supports her main thesis, and her novel interpretation of the Prophets’ iconography is a thoughtful addition to previous studies of Quiteño art. The book is organized in six chapters. The first two explain the historical and social framework for understanding the church’s decorative program mostly through the survey of seventeenth-century texts. Chapter 1 analyzes the written accounts surrounding the ceremonies of conversion that took place in Quito and that were led by the Jesuit community. These texts placed Quito and its Jesuit College at the center of the feats of evangelization. This discussion also allows the author to [End Page 174] present her main thesis: that Quito was considered as the Audiencia’s core of civility and spiritual leadership, while providing the Jesuit College with moral authority. Religious narratives defined the city’s geographical and conceptual boundaries, separating ordered and barbarous spaces and presenting the Amazon as a region waiting to be civilized. This idea is further elaborated in the second chapter which describes the role of Jesuit texts in defining the Society of Jesus as a virtuous institution and Quito’s population as an ideal Christian community. The third and fourth chapters study the decorative program of Quito’s Jesuit church. Chapter 3 places the building’s decoration in a global context, explaining its “international character” (79), which associated iconography with missionary work. This section also explains the evolution of the church’s decoration, which originally focused on the devotion of Christ and the role of the Jesuits as his followers, and later exalted Jesuit sainthood. Chapter 4, the most theoretical of the book, describes in detail the close connection between the Prophets and sacred rhetoric. By simultaneously explaining the ways in which sermons and religious texts directed and educated the gaze of the faithful, this section highlights the control that the Jesuits had over the audience’s devotional experience. It also proposes that Quito’s population was able to negotiate its identity through the collective experience of liturgy. The fifth and sixth chapters describe the role of the Society of Jesus in establishing and maintaining the order’s preeminence over the missions in the Amazon. Chapter 5 studies the Prophets’ background scenes alongside contemporary Jesuit literature and imagery and concludes that their references to martyrdom highlighted the precedence of the Jesuit order over the missions in the Amazon. Chapter 6 expands this discussion by describing the rivalry between the Society of Jesus and the Franciscan order both of which had claims over the formation of missionaries as well as the spiritual possession of the Amazon region. Although Fernández-Salvador...

Earthquake damage on the vaulted nave of the Atlatlahucan Ex-Convent church in Morelos, Mexico

The State of Morelos, in Mexico, has an architectural heritage conformed by 4614 religious and civil buildings, many of which were severely affected by the earthquake that occurred on September 19, 2017, which also caused damages to the built heritage in the states of Puebla, Tlaxcala, Mexico and Mexico City. A total of about 2800 heritage buildings suffered different damages degrees, reaching in many cases the collapse of elements such as vaults, domes, bell towers as well as their cloisters. The Ex-Convent of San Mateo in Atlatlahucan, Morelos, suffered damages on its main nave, in the pinnacles on the longitudinal side walls as well as in the clock box located on the front façade. In the present work, an analysis is made of the damages observed in the building, as well as a preliminary analytical diagnosis of the behavior of the main nave in order to propose future reinforcement actions for the building.

GPR Investigations at St John's Co‐Cathedral in Valletta

ABSTRACTThe Cathedral of St John in Valetta, Malta, represents a unique monument of historical importance. In this paper, we present the results of a detailed ground penetrating radar campaign performed in this Cathedral. The campaign was aimed at investigating the distribution of buried tombs under the mosaic floor of the main nave and of the lateral chapels of the Co‐Cathedral. The floor of the church shows a continuity of grave inscriptions in the main nave as well as in all lateral chapels. It was suspected, based on available historical documents, that only a part of the present‐day inscriptions corresponds to the original sepultures or tombs. The ground penetrating radar results presented here further highlight this conjecture and offer additional information regarding this important monument.

On the trail of tombs and sepulchral altars of the Ottonian period. The case of tombs in Piast state (Poznań cathedral, Poland)

Basilica in Poznan was built in a centre of power next to a palace and chapel, linked with the first decades of Christianity in Poland. In the middle of the main nave were discovered two tomb-like ...

Applications of Concrete in Contemporary Sacral Architecture

Defining the contemporary sacred space is connected not only with the search for the sacredness of the interior, but also with the balance between the selection of the most appropriate construction systems, which are made of concrete and reinforced concrete, together with the possibility to create the whole building, the form which is the intention of its creator. New kinds of materials, which are now less and less constrained by structural obstacles, have broadened directions of exploration and development of new forms in architecture. Undoubtedly, the invention of reinforced concrete, in the second half of the nineteenth century, was also the beginning of a revolution in architecture and the source of new challenges in creation of the sacred space. The use of concrete and reinforced concrete, as well as its combinations with other building materials, can be traced on various buildings. Having considered more than a century of experience in the use of these materials in the construction of architectural objects, including sacred space, the selected churches from different time periods of different scales were analysed. In order to compare the way of using the potential of concrete and its application in the construction of sacred objects, the analysis began with the church of August Peretta in Le Raincy. The author of the construction used thin reinforced concrete supporting columns and a vault as a reinforced coffered ceiling. The latest example of such a building is the church of Lech and Wojciech Szymborski in Warsaw, which is currently being built using the combination of technological and technical possibilities, as well as the most suitable selection of concrete mixtures. All that in order to create a unique building with a main nave structure both in a frame and plate system. The changing role of concrete and reinforced concrete is evident in the creation of new forms of sacred buildings, regardless of their scale. Moreover, the ongoing transmutation of concrete is visible through the creativity-enhancing fascination with this material, which has become, not only readily available, but also commonly used as a replaceable, multifunctional substitute in fine arts, technology and decorative elements. Furthermore, it has been repeatedly used as a construction material, which, when left without further finishing, results in being either an internal or external finish. The article is an attempt to answer the question how the approach to the use of this material has changed in the creation of the form and its interior, while paying particular attention to its internal and external exposure.

The Acoustics of the Choir in Spanish Cathedrals

One of the most significant enclosures in worship spaces is that of the choir. Generally, from a historical point of view, the choir is a semi-enclosed and privileged area reserved for the clergy, whose position and configuration gives it a private character. Regarding the generation and transformation of ecclesial interior spaces, the choir commands a role of the first magnitude. Its shape and location produce, on occasions, major modifications that significantly affect the acoustics of these indoor spaces. In the case of Spanish cathedrals, whose design responds to the so-called “Spanish type”, the central position of the choir, enclosed by high stonework walls on three of its sides and with numerous wooden stalls inside, breaks up the space in the main nave, thereby generating other new spaces, such as the trascoro. The aim of this work was to analyse the acoustic evolution of the choir as one of the main elements that configure the sound space of Spanish cathedrals. By means of in situ measurements and simulation models, the main acoustic parameters were evaluated, both in their current state and in their original configurations that have since disappeared. This analysis enabled the various acoustic conditions existing between the choir itself and the area of the faithful to be verified, and the significant improvement of the acoustic quality in the choir space to become apparent. The effect on the acoustic parameters is highly significant, with slight differences in the choir, where the values are appropriate for Gregorian chants, and suitable intelligibility of sung text. High values are also obtained in the area of the faithful, which lacked specific acoustic requirements at the time of construction.

L’exhibitionniste estropié de Saint-Jean de Boí (XIIe siècle)

Many elements of the rich iconographic program inside the Church of St. John of Boí, in the Catalan Pyrenees, are preserved. A bestiary nicely pictures a world where the closest meets with the most distant and unknown. Among those images, a male character catches attention not only because of his left leg, amputated, extended with a peculiar wooden prosthesis, but, especially, because the man ostensibly shows off his penis without the slightest embarrassment, targeting it with one or two hands in the direction of the main nave of the church. In this article we try to understand and interpret this character.

The Muqarnas Ceiling of the Palatina Chapel in Palermo

St. Peter’s Basilica inside the Royal Palace of Palermo, known as the Palatina Chapel, is one of the most popular medieval monuments in Sicily. Built between 1130 and 1163, it contains interesting wooden framings that represent both bearing and finishing structures. Studies about the Arab-Norman church have often concentrated on the very rich and suggestive decorative mosaic apparatus of walls and floorings, as well as the pictorial cycle of wooden ceilings. Knowledge about the constructive techniques adopted and, in particular, about the realization of the coverings, is very limited: there are wooden floors built at different levels, vaults and wooden ceilings and among these is the portion that covers the main nave, housing the muqarnas decorations. The fortunate coincidence of the restoration building yard made it possible to gain precious knowledge of this extraordinary wooden structure, also through a laser scanning survey of a significant area of the wooden ceiling, performed with a low range device. The collected data adequately represent the geometry and the state of conservation of the ceiling and have been used to develop a spatial and geometrical analysis of the muqarnas and relate it to the structural layout. The survey of the internal and external sides of the covering enabled us to investigate further the materials and constructive techniques employed in this ancient wooden ceiling. At the same time, we were also able to document the original structural system and the completion parts, its conservation status and the interventions and modifications it has undergone through many centuries.

Understanding the acoustics of Papal Basilicas in Rome by means of a coupled-volumes approach

The paper investigates the acoustics of the four World-famous Papal Basilicas in Rome, namely Saint Peter׳s, St. John Lateran׳s, St. Paul׳s outside the Walls, and Saint Mary׳s Major. They are characterized by different dimensions, materials, and architectural features, as well as by a certain number of similarities. In addition, their complexity determines significant variation in their acoustics depending on the relative position of source and receivers. A detailed set of acoustic measurements was carried out in each church, using both spatial (B-format) and binaural microphones, and determining the standard ISO 3382 descriptors. The results are analyzed in relation to the architectural features, pointing out the differences observed in terms of listening experience. Finally, in order to explain some of the results found in energy-based parameters, the churches were analyzed as a system of acoustically coupled volumes. The latter explained most of the anomalies observed in the distribution of acoustic parameters, while showing at the same time that secondary spaces (aisles, chapels) play a different role depending on the amount of sound absorption located in the main nave.

The Original Identity of the Safavid (Mosque) In Isfahan

Kafran is among villages the general region Rouydasht, at the extreme eastern end Isfahan province, having a long past, due to it’sexisting documents. The present study, being just a part the whole program known as development the history Iranian architecture, tries to uncover the identity and development the Mosque. Todo this, and with the aid of librarian and field studies, we shall try to investigate this structure attributed to Safavid period, by representing a description of its features, through maps. These are followed by some architectural analyses, according to which it is found that the southern nave is nothing more than a later addition to the original building. This hypothesis may be proved through employing such arguments as the non-existence of the mentioned space in the initial design the structure; therefore one may conclude that the initial using the original building had not been religious at all. Other [visual] evidences corroborate our hypothesis; among them one can mention the lack form, scale and shape proportions the main (northern)nave for performing prayer ceremony, unsuitability first story spaces for usual functions mosques, lack historical precedence for the model in the known Iranian History mosque building, and etc. Ultimately it should be noted that the original nucleus Hadji mosque is very similar to Safavid pavilions, and thus one may put forward the proposal that the original nucleus the structure might have been formal-ceremonial, or -administrative type. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n6s6p242

Hole Drilling Technique for On-Site Stress Measurements of Masonry Piers: Analysis of the Santa Maria del Mar Cathedral in Barcelona, Spain

AbstractThe construction of the Santa Maria del Mar cathedral dates back to 1329. The cathedral represents an excellent example of the Gothic style in Catalonia. Because of the observed damage on the piers of the main nave, special attention was focused on determining the piers’ stress states. During a research campaign, the resulting stresses are determined numerically as well as experimentally based on a minimally destructive technique called the hole drilling technique. The technique allows determination of the principal stresses and their direction in stone masonry. The experimental results are compared with the outcome of a comparative numerical analysis. The quality of the experimental technique and the usefulness of the on-site methodology in the framework of cultural heritage sites are presented and discussed. The aim of the paper is the final corroboration of the applicability of the hole drilling technique in masonry structures. The technique has been previously checked in the Altes Museum (Berl...

Architektura i wyposażenie kościoła i klasztoru Karmelitów bosych w Wiśniczu

Ufundowany w Wiśniczu przez Stanisława Lubomirskiego (1582–1649) kościół Chrystusa Salwatora i klasztor Karmelitów bosych był dziękczynnym votum za zwycięstwo odniesione pod Chocimiem oraz szczęśliwe zakończenie wojny polsko-tureckiej w 1621 roku. Założenie klasztorne zostało wzniesione opodal rodowego zamku Lubomirskich w Wiśniczu wg planów Macieja Trapoli w latach 1622–1635. Konsekrowany 1 lipca 1635 roku kościół klasztorny pod wezwaniem Chrystusa Salwatora otrzymał bardzo bogate wyposażenie, podobnie jak i sam klasztor. Kościół wzniesiony wg reguł zakonu karmelitańskiego był budowlą murowaną, na rzucie krzyża łacińskiego, o zwróconym na południe dwuprzęsłowym prezbiterium oraz jednonawowym, także dwuprzęsłowym korpusie, otoczonym po bokach rzędem kaplic bocznych, połączonych ze sobą wąskimi przejściami i otwartych do głównej nawy arkadami ujętymi w archiwolty, wspartymi na filarach. Wnętrze ozdobiono bogatą dekoracją stiukową, wykonaną przez Jana Chrzciciela Falconiego, skomponowaną między innymi z panopliów o motywach tureckich, co bezpośrednio nawiązywało do zwycięstwa chocimskiego. Pod ramionami transeptu urządzono rodowe mauzoleum Lubomirskich z ołtarzem Ukrzyżowania. Niestety w wyniku zawieruch dziejowych nie przetrwało ani bogate wyposażenie kościoła, ani sama świątynia, zburzona przez niemieckiego okupanta w latach 1940–1942. Przylegający do kościoła od strony południowej i zachodniej klasztor był budowlą podpiwniczoną i murowaną. Wzniesiono go w stylu wczesnobarokowym na planie regularnego czworoboku o wymiarach 61 × 62 m, z trzema dziedzińcami wewnętrznymi i wnętrzami sklepionymi kolebkowo i krzyżowo. Budynek klasztoru po kasacie zakonu przez cesarza Józefa II w 1783 roku został zamieniony na więzienie.

Investigation about ancient mortars and plasters in the Mondovì cathedral (Cuneo, Italy)

St. Donato Cathedral of Mondovi (Cuneo Province, North-West Italy) is the last project of the famous architect Francesco Gallo (1672-1750). The construction started in 1744, but it has been consecrated only in 1763. The building is an impressive brick-made church with a main nave and two lateral aisles, which remarkable length is 56 meters and it is 24 meters wide. Its style is mainly baroque with some neoclassical additions. After the edification, the decoration of the interior walls was very simple; probably it was a white finish of smooth plaster consisting of lime and magnesian lime mortar. There are some evidences of a basic decoration: a uniform bluish or grayish tinge. Around 1850 a plan for a new decorative apparatus was made and some of the most important painters of that period were committed to paint sacred subjects on the vault and apse, and to provide the decorations of the walls. In early 2012 started some important restoration works in the Cathedral. One of the main purpose of the Restoration Team is to get scientific and historical information about the work of ancient painters and decorators. The scientific investigation on mortar layers was conducted on various samples, several of them were resin included polished sections, using Optical Microscopy (OM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) supported by Energy Dispersive Microprobe spectroscopy (EDS). The analyses carried out on the samples clearly showed the historical stratifications of different layers. The first stratification is made of mortars and plasters dating around the middle of 18th century, and shows different compositions and very neat layers. While the last stratification is a more recent mortar plaster, which is coarse-grained, used as a background for the new decorations done in the middle of 19th century.