Diagnosis and Structural Assessment of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Chapel in Prague (CZ)

This paper illustrates the results of the analysis and the structural assessment of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary chapel, in Prague. The chapel, an oval-shaped building covered with a dome, was built at the end of the 16th century and can be considered the last example of renaissance architecture and, at the same time, the first example of baroque architecture in Prague: it is a significant testimony of the close connection between local artists and their Italian teachers. The building has been closed to visitors during the last decades for the presence of some structural damages and because it was severely degraded due to lack of maintenance. It was reopened in 2017 after a notable restoration process. This paper pays attention to the interdisciplinary approach used for structural assessment of the chapel, that is based on the activities of the “knowledge path,” the subsequent structural analysis and the intervention design. Particular attention was paid to the contribution of the historical review, geometric laser scanner survey and mechanical characterization of the structural materials. All these steps are necessary to identify potential vulnerabilities and to enable the understanding of the effective structural models, also in view of proposing adequate retrofit solutions. A numerical model of the chapel was prepared and calibrated. Finally, the structural assessment for static and seismic condition was performed.