Читать книгу Monument Future - Siegfried Siegesmund - Страница 391

The mediaval monastery of Geghard is located in the Kotayk province of Armenia in the Azat River Gorge. Since 1986, the stone formations and the monastery are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The main church was built in 1215, whereas the monastery complex was founded much earlier in the 4th century by Gregory the Illuminator. The church is constructed out of basalt ashlar. Parts of the monastery complex are carved from the rock formation of the Azat Valley.

Onsite investigations were carried out, and the petrophysical properties of the different building stones were investigated.

Further investigations show a high impact of hydric dilatation and a potential sensitivity to salt weathering on the rock parts of the monastery. Experimental conservation was carried out to reduce the hydric dilatation and to strengthen the poor hardness of the rock material.