The Monastery of Uclés (Cuenca, Spain): characterization and deterioration of building materials

Abstract

Building materials from the Monastery of Uclés façades, in Cuenca (16th-18 th centuries), have been characterised, as well as identified their deterioration forms. Characterization consisted of the determination o mineralogical and petrographical properties of building materials; petrophysical and petrochemical characterization of building stones were also carried out. Stony materials are basically of two types, dolostones and limestones. Ashlars joint mortars are of three classes, chronologically from the oldest to the newest: lime mortars with siliceous and dolomitic aggregates, gypsum/lime mortars with dolomitic aggregates, and gypsum/lime mortars with siliceous aggregates. The façades have been protected with artificial patinas of three kinds: lime, lime/gypsum and gypsum patinas, chronologically from the oldest to the newest, with a variable thickness from 500 µm. The dolomitic fades are better conserved than the calcareous ones, and the covering artificial patinas presence have preserved the materials on which they were applied.