Conservative renovation and restoration of the Madonna di Pompei Oratory

Mapei has always been deeply committed to enhancing and promoting our historic and architectural heritage and lately contributed to the recovery of the Madonna di Pompei Oratory in Ravenna (Central Italy)

The Oratory, built in 1766 and dedicated the Madonna of Pompei, which also has a fresco dedicated to her inside the building, used to be a place of worship for many of her followers. The small church sits close to the bridge at the confluence of the so-called Fiumi Uniti or joined-up rivers. The Oratory was closed in 1994 and had fallen into a state of disrepair due to neglect and the passage of time. Following a request from residents to restore the Oratory, the City Council and the Archdiocese of Ravenna launched an appeal for local building contractors and restoration companies willing to provide their services and the materials and equipment needed for the work free of charge, and give the ancient church a new lease of life so that it could be returned to the local community.

To restore the Oratory several mortars from the MAPE-ANTIQUE Line for masonry renovation were used because of their similar chemical/physical and elastic/mechanical characteristics to the properties of the materials originally used to build the structure, that is, lime-based and completely cement free.

Going into detail, the contractors that carried out the work used masonry mortars to reconstruct portions of the facing walls, dehumidifying renders to restore masonry damaged by rising damp, high-performance renders and other technological systems to strengthen the structure of Oratory (which had been damaged by the earthquake in August 2016), chemical anchors, various materials to thermally insulate the walls, waterproofing systems for the substrates, mortars for screeds, adhesives and grouts to install the stone paving and the stone steps and, lastly, mineral-based coatings for the internal and external walls.

MAPESTONE CALCIX was used for the cobblestones outside the church, a cement-free system specific for renovating stone paving, including of historical interest. Perfect for footpaths and areas used by pedestrians and light vehicles, and compliant with Italian standard UNI 11714-1, this system is made up of two types of pre-mixed mortar: one to install the cobblestones (MAPESTONE TFB CALCIX) and the other for grouting joints (MAPESTONE PFS CALCIX). They are both natural hydraulic lime-based (NHL) products, and also contain inorganic Pozzolanic materials, selected aggregates and special additives: the result is a system that is highly sustainable and highly durable. MAPESTONE PFS CALCIX is available in either a light colour or a darker colour (Tenebris).