The original stone materials, an essential element for the proper maintenance of monumental cultural heritage – Part II

Abstract

Safeguarding cultural heritage is as essential as safeguarding natural heritage. The protection of monumental heritage requires the production of original stone materials, even for maintenance purposes alone. A national-level policy is therefore necessary to ensure the authenticity of replacement materials. Such a policy should require that, for each monumental work, the origin of the stone material used is documented, not so much in petrographic terms, but with reference to the quarry of provenance or, at the very least, the extraction basin to which it belongs. PAE and PIAE plans must also allow for the non-industrial extraction of original quarry sites, in order to guarantee supply for the maintenance of monumental heritage. Public administration is called upon to facilitate the authorisation process and to support non-economic extraction aimed at replacement restoration. Finally, the State must take a clear position, balancing the two conservation needs: that of natural heritage and that of monumental cultural heritage.