The Restoration of the Nativity Church in Bethlehem

Claudio Alessandri

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English

Routledge
21 January 2020

Museums & museology; Archaeology; Mining industry; Civil engineering, surveying & building; Environmental science, engineering & technology

This book is a summary of the main restoration works carried out at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem that commenced in September 2013. Work on roof wooden structures, wall and floor mosaics, internal plasters, wooden architraves and painted columns of the naves, external wall surfaces and Narthex is all presented in a sequence of reports that accompany the reader up to the final interventions through accurate descriptions of historical and archaeological features, initial state of conservation and appropriate techniques of conservation and restoration.

Topics are treated with the methodological and linguistic rigor specific to each disciplinary sector involved even if, in the interest of making reading and comprehension easier, it was sometimes preferred to present only significant case studies, which are nevertheless representative of groups of wider and more complex problems. Through the reading of this work, the reader can simply fulfil his desire for knowledge and obtain answers to certain curiosities about the past history of the Church. At the same time, useful guidelines in dealing with conservation and restoration interventions at historic-architectural sites of similar complexity can be found.

The book is, therefore, addressed to a generic reader, interested in the history and conservation of one of the most representative examples of our heritage, but also, in light of its technical and scientific value, to university students, technicians, restorers, architects, structural engineers, archaeologists and historians.

Edited by: Claudio Alessandri
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 246mm, Width: 174mm,
Weight: 1.520kg
ISBN: 9781138488991
ISBN 10: 1138488992
Pages: 446
Publication Date: 21 January 2020
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction. The Restoration Site. Roof and Windows. Mosaics. Plasters. Paintings on Columns. Exterior Wall Surfaces. Wooden Architraves. Narthex. Monitoring.

Claudio Alessandri graduated in Architecture at the University of Florence, Italy in 1976. In 1983 he was appointed Assistant Professor in Mechanics of Solids & Structures at the same University. In 1991 he became Associate Professor and two years later he moved to the University of Ferrara where in 2011 he became Full Professor and later Head of the Architecture Department from 2003 to 2005. In the same years he was also Director of D.I.A.P.Re.M, a University Research Centre with experience and expertise in 3-D laser scanning, diagnostic analysis, conservation & restoration of monuments and sites, sustainability, management of territory & landscape. Since 2012 he is part of the Engineering Department Staff of the University of Ferrara. From 2010 to 2015 he was Deputy Rector of the University for matters regarding the University Real Estate assets. He was Visiting Professor at foreign Universities and Cultural Centres: PUCPR - Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Paranà – Brazil; TUD – Technische Universität Dresden – Germany; Shenzhen University – China; Birzeit and Al Quds Universities – Palestine¸ RIWAQ Center for Preservation of Historical Heritage – Ramallah, Palestine; Welfare Association – Jerusalem, Palestine. In 2010-2011, after previous work experiences with UNESCO in Palestine, he coordinated the International team appointed by the Palestine National Authority to survey and analyse the state of conservation of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The report delivered to the P.N.A. became the main reference for the restoration works started in 2013, of which he is still one of the main supervisors. Presently his main research fields are Computational Mechanics, Numerical Modelling and Structural Analysis for Heritage Preservation.

Reviews for The Restoration of the Nativity Church in Bethlehem

The purpose of this work as stated by Alessandri (Univ. of Ferrara) is only to accompany the reader along a [conservational] path that began in ... 2009. This humble statement begins a 10-chapter technical tome encompassing detailed restoration analyses that follow principles of restoration [informed by] various Charters of Restoration, ICOMOS [International Council on Monuments and Sites] and UNESCO documents. Enormous efforts were made to preserve the history and integrity of the Nativity Church structure. The book provides an overview of the restoration site, then focuses respectively on elements such as roof, windows, mosaics, plasters, painting, wall surfaces, wooden features, and the narthex. The authors cover original construction-including archaeology as applicable, restoration changes and why performed, detailed explanations of tests completed whether simple mortar analyses or complex seismic tests, and conclusions reached. The final chapter covers monitoring, from strain to thermal alterations. Illustrated by black-and-white and color photographs, schematics, drawings, and more, this well-written book communicates a thorough understanding of the techniques and tools used, affording a full account of the restoration, supported by a helpful index. Aside from its intrinsic interest, the book is a great companion to Correction of Differential Settlements in Mexico City's Metropolitan Cathedral and Sagrario Church, by Ovando-Shelley and Santoyo. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates. Students in two-year technical programs. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals. L.B. Allsopp (Arizona State University) in CHOICE, March 2021, Vol. 58, No. 7