Application of fresco mapping : a case study

Abstract

The Assumption Cathedral in the Island Town of Sviyazhsk (Russian Federation) represents a unique cultural heritage site. Apart from the architectural elements of the building itself, it is characterized by a vast area of the 16th century art layer. Therefore, general monitoring of the Cathedral building's condition should be combined with a systematic fresco preservation approach. This article is dedicated to the issue of establishing a condition monitoring technique and systematization of information on fresco paintings in the Assumption Cathedral. The issue was resolved by means of combining a traditional mapping technique with the application of modern visualization tools. The conducted work resulted in the establishment of a fresco cartogram database broken down by patterns featuring an extended functionality allowing to trace the condition of the Cathedral’s fresco paintings over time. The materials contained in this article can be used by specialists in the field of history, fresco paining and architecture.