Historic masonry churches exposed to slow-moving landslides: A critical damage assessment

This paper deals with the damage assessment of historic masonry churches exposed to slow-moving landslides. A damage survey campaign was carried out on 33 listed churches located in the Liguria region (Italy) in areas affected by slow-moving landslides. For each church, information about zoning, state of activity and direction of landslide phenomena was collected and analyzed. Knowledge of each building’s main geometric and structural features, history and past interventions was gained by means on-site surveys and archival research. A detailed field-survey of crack patterns and deformations was also performed. Based on the critical assessment of the damage observed, preliminary conclusions on the structural response of historic masonry churches to slow-moving landslides were made. Recurrent types of damage and damage mechanisms were also identified.