The ‘health record’ of the church of Santa Maria Assunta in Pontecurone: contamination between historical knowledge and non-destructive testing results

Abstract

The historical architecture of the church of Santa Maria Assunta in Pontecurone (Alessandria, Italy), of late medieval origins and with significant transformations until the 20th century, is a clear palimpsest of different construction and decorative phases. Nowadays, although used as a parish church, it shows a critical framework of alterations. The need to best rearrange the data in preparation for a wished restoration program required the involvement of a team of experts from the Politecnico di Torino – as members of a protocol agreement – to verify the current state of conservation of the building. Between 2019 and 2022, the study focused on examining rich but dispersed and fragmented historical sources, which provided important information for the knowledge of architectural components. In the meantime, an NDT diagnostic campaign to understand non-visible phenomena and structural problems was carried out. In particular, infrared thermography allowed the comprehension of the vaulted systems laying, the mapping of fissures and the reading of the stains caused by infiltration and rising dampness. Moreover, thanks to an innovative application of this technique, it was possible to evaluate the heating system's effectiveness through the survey of the distribution of hot air flows in the room context and on the surfaces. Instead, endoscopic inspections revealed the stratigraphy under the floor level, which is completely damaged, and resistograph analysis verified the quality of the antique roof trusses at some significant points. The contribution will deal in detail with the systematization of the data in the health record, a tool already tested in other contexts (such as at Chambord Castle, to which this project refers) that can be constantly implemented and easily consulted. Furthermore, it easily communicates and records the knowledge about the building, relating historical information with results obtained from the application of non-destructive testing