Investigation on the pillars of the Syracuse Cathedral in Sicily

The long-term research experience of the authors shows the importance of the knowledge of the building through experimental investigation. Recently, the authors intensively studied the Syracuse Cathedral in order to evaluate the structural state of preservation of the pillars. The Cathedral of Syracuse was built in different phases on an ancient Greek temple from the 5th cent b.C. and modified along the centuries. The pillars of the central nave, obtained cutting the temple cell walls, show a complex situation of damages and repairs. An investigation program (including sonic, radar, ultrasonic, etc.) has been recently planned, aimed to design the preservation and restoration actions. An accurate geometrical survey of the surface problems and defects allowed the localisation of the most damaged area, suggesting the further control by NDT. The results obtained from the survey were compared to the results of the other type of tests and the elaborated data will implement an analytical model for the study of the seismic vulnerability. The paper presents and discusses the preliminary results of the research carried out by the authors.