ND EVALUATION AND MONITORING OF THE BASILICA OF S. LORENZO IN CREMONA

The Basilica of S. Lorenzo at Cremona (Italy) shows all the formal contradictions deriving from centuries of continuous modifications of the load-bearing structures. The church is affected by different kinds of damage including cracking of the vaults, rotation of one of the timber trusses constituting the roof and tilting of the pillars. After a previous investigation, articulated at different levels and intended to understand the historical evolution of the church, its constructive techniques and the crack pattern in its spatial development, a strenghtening intervention has started in the main nave. In the presbytery, the vault and the apse show many cracks probably due to the settlement induced by an archeological excavation carried out in the 1960’s to inspect the three-apsed ancient church standing underneath the present building. To better understand the constructive technique and to interpret the failure mechanisms, considering that previously repaired cracks had re-opened, ND evaluation and monitoring has been carried out.