Structural analysis of the Barrô Romanesque Church

Built on the left bank of the Douro River, halfway of the slope, the Romanesque Church of Barrô was founded in the 12th century. This church underwent many changes during its service years, where the major concerns were the water infiltration and the belltower, which have led to many problems. Throughout the visual inspection, a major crack in the front façade and bulging of the lateral wall was observed, therefore doubts were raised on their causes. An effort has been made to perform photogrammetry on the structure, further enhanced with a detailed drawing survey to observe and localize the damages. The mechanical properties of the structure and the damage level, were evaluated through NDT (rebound hammer, thermography, sonic, geo-radar test, and MQI). From these tests, it was possible to evaluate the structural properties with a reliable confidence level and form a detailed damage map. With the purpose of determining the cause of the damages and to suggest proper conservation, a numerical nonlinear analysis was performed in order to evaluate the safe vertical load carrying capacity of the structure. Lateral pushover analysis was also performed in both directions to observe the seismic behaviour of the structure. Finally, preventive measures were recommended, together with a detailed monitoring plan to increase the confidence and knowledge level of the structure.