Abstract
The Horezu Monastery is dating from the seventeenth century, but the refectory was built in the western side of its axis and painted in the early eighteenth centuries. The main objective of the work is to perform a deep analysis of pink and black pigmentation from the refectory and the cellar. It started from the pink coloration observed by the naked eye followed by photographic registration and analysis by mobile optical microscope. Then micro samples have been taken for analysis at optical and electronic microscope and resin embedding to obtain cross-sections. Photographic registration is a useful method to map pink pigmentation but microscopy and microbiological analysis are essential for finding its biological origin. Spherical cells like Rubrobacter grouped in chains or tetrads developing a pink biofilm and filamentous branching bacteria like actinomyces were identified on the surface of mortar, mural painting and bricks. Many groups of bacteria have been found in cracks and pores. This observation explains the ability of pink bacteria to travel through pores and clog them impairing water evaporation. Black pigmentation is the result of mortar colonization by fungi which developed both mycelium and conidiophores with conidia. Examination of the samples by lens and electrons allows scientists and restorers to identify the microbiological origin of the pink and black discoloration and to avoid their misinterpretation as colors which are coming from chemical reactions or deposits from the atmosphere. Based on these results, a strategy for decontamination is elaborated to be applied before restoration work.
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Acknowledgments
This research was carried out with financial support of the National Research Program Parteneriate în domenii prioritare—PN II, MEN—UEFISCDI, grant no. PN-II-PT-PCCA-2013-4-0660.
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Gomoiu, I., Mohanu, D., Mohanu, I., Enache, M., Cojoc, R. (2017). Analysis of Historical Monuments Through the Lens and Electrons: Case Study: The Monastery Hurezi. In: Oral, A., Bahsi Oral, Z. (eds) 3rd International Multidisciplinary Microscopy and Microanalysis Congress (InterM). Springer Proceedings in Physics, vol 186. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46601-9_23
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