Influence of wall composition on moisture related degradation of the wall surfaces in Hagia Sophia, Istanbul

Abstract

Over the past 10 years, our research team has holistically studied the environmental aspects of the conservation and restoration of the Hagia Sophia, which is suffering from severe degradation of its wall paintings, including the exfoliation of wall paintings and inner finishing materials, mainly due to salt crystallisation. In the present study, we investigated the influence of environmental factors and wall composition on the hygrothermal behaviour in the structure, such as moisture accumulation and evaporation within the walls, which significantly affect salt crystallisation. The differences in distribution of high moisture content at second cornice are depending on the azimuth, and the high correlation between high moisture content and deterioration severity is significant. A two-dimensional numerical model of the simultaneous transfer of heat and moisture considering the measured material physical properties and wall composition of the exedra wall is developed to quantitatively investigate the influence of environmental factors on moisture accumulation. Numerical results show that infiltrated rainwater tends to accumulate because the original builders used connection mortar, which has a much larger moisture diffusivity than that of modern mortar, and the accumulated water at the bottom of the wall is difficult to drain owing to the shape of the wall. In the northwest exedra, the influence of wind-driven rain on water accumulation is similar to that of runoff rainwater from the upper roofs, which probably causes deterioration over a wide area. In addition, the effect of the deterioration suppression measure by the re-covering of the outer surfaces of the west wall in 2013 is verified, and an appropriate suppression measure against water permeation is examined using a numerical model.