Holistic Approach to the Restoration of a Vandalized Monument: The Cross of the Inquisition, Seville City Hall, Spain

The Cross of the Inquisition, sculpted in 1903 and raised on a column with a fluted shaft and ornamented with vegetable garlands, is located in a corner of the Plateresque façade of the Seville City Hall. The Cross was vandalized in September 2019 and the restoration concluded in September 2021. A g...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied sciences 2022-06, Vol.12 (12), p.6222
Main Authors: Jurado, Valme, Cañaveras, Juan Carlos, Gomez-Bolea, Antonio, Gonzalez-Pimentel, Jose Luis, Sanchez-Moral, Sergio, Costa, Carlos, Saiz-Jimenez, Cesareo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
16th century
Aquatic plants
Biocides
Biological activity
black fungi
Bryophytes
Cloning
Facades
Fruits
Fungi
green algae
Lichens
Limestone
Microbiological studies
Mineralogy
Stone
Trebouxia aggregata
Urban areas
Urban environments
Vandalism
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Summary:The Cross of the Inquisition, sculpted in 1903 and raised on a column with a fluted shaft and ornamented with vegetable garlands, is located in a corner of the Plateresque façade of the Seville City Hall. The Cross was vandalized in September 2019 and the restoration concluded in September 2021. A geological and microbiological study was carried out in a few small fragments. The data are consistent with the exposure of the Cross of the Inquisition to an urban environment for more than 100 years. During that time, a lichen community colonized the Cross and the nearby City Hall façades. The lichens, bryophytes and fungi colonizing the limestone surface composed an urban community, regenerated from the remains of the original communities, after superficial cleaning of the limestone between 2008 and 2010. This biological activity was detrimental to the integrity of the limestone, as showed by the pitting and channels, which evidence the lytic activity of organisms on the stone surface. Stone consolidation was achieved with Estel 1000. Preventol RI80, a biocide able to penetrate the porous limestone and active against bacteria, fungi, lichens, and bryophytes, was applied in the restoration.
ISSN:2076-3417
2076-3417
DOI:10.3390/app12126222