The pediment of the church of Santa Croce in Lecce: by analysis to intervention
Following the falling of stone fragments on the churchyard in May of 2011, it became clear that the
pediment of the Church of Santa Croce, emblem of Salentinian Baroque, was gravely compromised. The
first surveys highlighted damage and crackings in stone elements and joints, mostly due to mechanical
reasons. The causes of the structural failure were not immediately clear, as they couldn’t be linked to those
of similar masonry buildings; the execution of a detailed survey and a historical-archival and photographic
survey were fundamental and, together with further non-destructive investigations, provided useful
elements for the diagnosis of the damage – it was attributed to a previous consolidation operation from
the 1980s – as well as for the restoration plan and the development of a methodology of intervention that
would be effective to address similar cases.
