Granitos de Salamanca. Un ejemplo perfecto para el reconocimiento de la piedra natural como recurso patrimonial y su uso en restauración

Resum

In the province of Salamanca (Spain) there are several quarries that used to be the source of natural stone used in the construction of historic buildings and that are today recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. In this study we investigated the granites used in the construction and restoration of the lower ashlars of the walls of different buildings in Salamanca, Alba de Tormes, Ciudad Rodrigo and Ledesma. The characterization of the different types of granite and their current state of preservation may serve to adopt specific measures for their possible use in the restoration of the architectural heritage of the province, if this should become necessary. Despite the variety of materials observed in the lower parts of the buildings (ranging from sandstone to conglomerate to granite), the stone most frequently used was the granite from Los Santos and the Martinamor granite, followed by the vaugneritic granites from Ledesma. In general the granite materials are in a good state of conservation but the existence of certain pathologies that have given rise to processes of flaking and discoloration of the rock suggests that it will be necessary to make a consistent assessment when deciding about possible actions aimed at replacing materials in these historic buildings Moreover, the various granites differ from one another and pieces should not be replaced without perfect identification of the specific type to which they belong. A detailed study of these granites is crucial for the nomination of some of them as candidates for the denomination Global Heritage Stone Resource and the whole set of Salamanca province lithologies as a Global Heritage Stone Province.