Macroscopical morphology of deterioration of the stone in the Cathedral of Cádiz, Spain

Abstract

Two factors have determined the actual deterioration state of the Cathedral of Cádiz, one is natural and the other is anthropogenic. On one hand, the presence of salts conditioned by atmospherical environment and saline solutions of the rising damp; on the other hand, the vicissitudes suffered by the temple during its construction, having been unprotected for long periods of time both internally and externally the bad use of the building and the little maintenance carried out on it. The crystallization and dissolution, and salt hydratation and dehydratation mechanisms have provoked serious deteriorations in the foreign lithotypes: spalling in compact limestones, chipping and pulverizations in marbles; the autochthonous “ostionera", well-balanced in the medium, presents a good state of conservation. The interior of the Cathedral, contrary to the normal, is much more degraded than the exterior.