Microclimatic and Ground-Penetrating Radar surveys for damage diagnosis. The case of the Crypt of the Duomo of Lecce (Italy)

The presence of particular environmental conditions inside monumental buildings is responsible for deterioration processes. The Crypt (1114) of the Duomo in the city centre of Lecce (South-Italy) is a valuable monument with many artworks in the interior, affected by salt damage on the masonry and columns. In order to give a diagnosis of the damage, condition assessment and documentation were performed with various techniques. Here we focus on the results of a microclimatic monitoring combined with a decay mapping and Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) observations. The aim is to highlight the conditions that allow crystal growth and the presence of moisture sources in the subsoil, involved in the salt damage. In such a manner an explanation for crystallization and its variation over time is given