Astronomical Knowledge in the Sacred Architecture of the Middle Ages in Italy

The present work reports the results of the archaeoastronomical examination of sacred buildings in Italy dating from the medieval period. This leads to the problem of understanding the training of the architects in the middle ages, and, in particular, their knowledge of astronomy, a theme which is dealt with on the basis of the analysis. The first section of this paper takes into consideration the astronomical knowledge present in documents of architectural/constructive nature, including astronomical and gnomonic knowledge, geometry, design, the use of both the civil and the liturgical calendar, as well as knowledge of both technical and practical nature, such as measuring techniques and site techniques. The analysis concludes with a database aimed at defining a series of objectives and work methodologies which are scientifically shared and correct