Church of San Pietro Martire in Verona: A conservation-oriented approach between historical and structural interpretation

The study presents an integrated structural assessment and damage interpretation of the former Gothic church of San Pietro Martire in Verona (13th century) within a multidisciplinary, conservation-oriented framework. While recent studies on historic masonry churches increasingly integrate non-destructive diagnostics and modelling, a persistent gap remains in validating crack interpretations through combined historical, geometric and mechanical evidence, capable of distinguishing between long-term historic mechanisms and more later-stage damage phenomena. This research addresses this field by proposing and applying an integrated methodological workflow that combines historical–critical analysis, high-resolution geometric survey, vibration-based dynamic identification, microseismic testing and material investigations. Beyond documenting the building condition, the study develops a comparative and multi-criteria interpretation of the experimental data, aimed at the mechanical interpretation of the governing failure mechanisms. The results allow the differentiation between two structurally and chronologically distinct crack patterns: (i) a historic and currently active out-of-plane bending mechanism affecting the south façade, and (ii) a recent and presently inactive damage pattern associated with stiffness reconfiguration of the adjacent building aggregate. This distinction is supported by geometric displacement fields, modal shapes, experimentally derived stiffness parameters and first-level kinematic assessment. The novelty of the research lies in the cross-validated integration of historical, geometric, dynamic and local mechanical evidence to distinguish active and inactive crack mechanisms in historic masonry churches. This enables the definition of a transferable methodology in the framework of applied research, tested on complex and stratified cultural heritage sites within the operational and decision-making processes of the Superintendence, aimed at developing a global interpretation of structural behaviour that integrates the historical perspective of the research process with the current state of conservation of the building. The research is carried out within the framework of a collaborative process between the Cluster-Lab MATESCA of Università Iuav di Venezia and the Superintendence ABAP for the Provinces of Verona, Rovigo, and Vicenza (local office of the Italian Ministry of Culture), and the proposed methodology has constituted the knowledge base for the Ministry’s executive conservation design solutions.