Granites of Salamanca. A perfect example for the recognition of natural stone as a heritage resource and their use in restoration
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21701/bolgeomin.128.2.002Keywords:
ornamental granite, historical heritage, historical quarries, Salamanca, Global Heritage Stone ResourceAbstract
In the province of Salamanca (Spain) there are several quarries that used to be the source of natural stone used in the construction of historic buildings and that are today recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. In this study we investigated the granites used in the construction and restoration of the lower ashlars of the walls of different buildings in Salamanca, Alba de Tormes, Ciudad Rodrigo, and Ledesma. The characterization of the different types of granite and their current state of preservation may serve to adopt specific measures for their possible use in the restoration of the architectural heritage of the province if this should become necessary. Despite the variety of materials observed in the lower parts of the buildings (ranging from sandstone to conglomerate to granite), the stone most frequently used was the granite from Los Santos and the Martinamor granite, followed by the vaugneritic granites from Ledesma.
In general, the granite materials are in good condition, but the existence of certain pathologies that have given rise to processes of flaking and discoloration of the rock suggests that it will be necessary to make a consistent assessment when deciding about possible actions aimed at replacing materials in these historic buildings. Moreover, the various granites differ from one another, and pieces should not be replaced without perfect identification of the specific type to which they belong. A detailed study of these granites is crucial for the nomination of some of them as candidates for the denomination Global Heritage Stone Resource and the whole set of Salamanca province lithologies as a Global Heritage Stone Province.
Downloads
References
ASTM International 2011. Standard Specification for Granite Dimension Stone. C615/C615M.
Baltuille, J.M., Gisbert, J., Pereira, D., Sebastián, E., Mota, Mª.I., Gómez Gras, D., Taboada, J., García de los Ríos, J.I., Franco, A. y Fort, R. 2012. CONSTRUROCK. A network at the service of Natural Stone and the Architectonic Heritage. Proceedings from the Global Stone International Congress, Borba 2012.
Cooper, B.J. 2010. Toward establishing a 'Global Heritage Stone Resource' designation. Episodes, 33, 38-41. https://doi.org/10.18814/epiiugs/2010/v33i1/006
del Arco, A. 2010. Canteras y Canteros en la Provincia de Salamanca. Siglos XVI-XXI. Tesis de Licenciatura inédita. Biblioteca de la Facultad de Geografía e Historia, Universidad de Salamanca.
Esbert Alemany, R.M. 2007. Alteración de rocas graníticas utilizadas en edificación, Materiales de Construcción, 57, 77 - 89. https://doi.org/10.3989/mc.2007.v57.i288.66
EXCAL, 2007. Catálogo de Exportaciones de Castilla y León. Natural Stone Castilla y León. Spain, Ed. Junta de Castilla y León, 207 pp.
García de los Ríos, J.I. y Báez Mezquita, J.M. 2001. La Piedra en Castilla y León, Ed. Junta de Castilla y León, 345 pp.
ICOMOS, 2008. Internacional scientific comitee for stone: Illustrated glossary on stone deterioration patterns, 78 pp.
Lerma, J.L. 1999. Metodología de clasificación multiespectral para el reconocimiento y caracterización de material y patologías en fachadas arquitectónicas. Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. Tesis Doctoral.
López Plaza, M., García de los Ríos Cobo, J. I., López Moro, F. J., González Sánchez, M., Íñigo, A. C., Vicente Tavera, S., Jiménez Fuentes, E. 2007a. La utilización del granito turmalinífero de Martinamor en los monumentos de Salamanca y Alba de Tormes, Studia Geologica Salmanticensia, 43-2, 247-280.
López Plaza, M., García de los Ríos Cobo, J. I., López Moro, F. J., González Sánchez, M., Íñigo, A. C., Vicente Tavera, S., Jiménez Fuentes, E. 2007b. La utilización de rocas vaugneríticas en los monumentos de Salamanca, Studia Geologica Salmanticensia 43-1, 115 - 142.
López Plaza, M., García de los Ríos Cobo, J. I., López Moro, F. J., González Sánchez, M., Íñigo, A. C., Vicente Tavera, S., Jiménez Fuentes, E. 2009. La utilización del granito de Los Santos en la ciudad de Salamanca", Studia Geologica Salmanticensia, 45-1, 7-40.
Madoz, P. y Sagasti, L. 1845. Diccionario geográfico-estadístico-histórico de España y sus posesiones de ultramar, p. 11.668, Est. Literario-Tipográfico de P. Madoz y L. Sagasti.
Nespereira, J., Blanco, J.A., Yenes, M. y Pereira, D. 2010. Opal cementation in tertiary sandstones used as ornamental stones, Engineering Geology, 115, 167-174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2009.08.006
Pereira, D. y Cooper, B. 2014a. Building stone as a part of a World Heritage site: "Piedra Pajarilla" Granite and the city of Salamanca, En: Cassar, J. et al. (eds), Stone in Historic Buildings: Characterization and Performance, Geological Society Special Publications, 391. https://doi.org/10.1144/SP391.3
Pereira, D. y Cooper, B. 2014b. A "Global Heritage Stone Province" in association with the UNESCO World Heritage City of Salamanca, Spain. Proceedings from the IAEG international congress, Torino 2014. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09048-1_39
Pereira, D., Baltuille, J.M., Cooper, B. 2013. Documenting the architectonic heritage: the best way of preserving it. En: Candelera, R., Lazzari, M y Cano, E. (eds) Science and Technology for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage. Taylor and Francis Group, London, 411-414.
Pereira, D., Gimeno, A. y del Barrio, S. 2015. Piedra Pajarilla: a candidacy as a Global Heritage Stone Resource for Martinamor granite. En: Pereira, D. et al. (eds), Towards International Recognition of Building and Ornamental Stones, Geological Society Special Publication. https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.6
Portal-Monge, Y. 1988. La torre de las campanas de la catedral de Salamanca. Universidad de Salamanca, 198 pp.
Rodríguez de Ceballos, A. 1978. La torre de la catedral nueva de Salamanca, Boletín del Seminario de Estudios de Arte y Arqueología, 44, 245-256.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
© CSIC. Manuscripts published in both the print and online versions of this journal are the property of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, and quoting this source is a requirement for any partial or full reproduction.
All contents of this electronic edition, except where otherwise noted, are distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. You may read the basic information and the legal text of the licence. The indication of the CC BY 4.0 licence must be expressly stated in this way when necessary.
Self-archiving in repositories, personal webpages or similar, of any version other than the final version of the work produced by the publisher, is not allowed.
