Project description
Preserving the hidden architectural heritage of Florence’s friar churches
Medieval religious buildings are among Europe’s most important cultural landmarks, yet many of their structural elements remain poorly understood despite their significance for both heritage and conservation. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the ARChiFriars project will investigate the timber and stone roofing systems of four major Mendicant churches in Florence, combining historical research, building archaeology, structural analysis, and advanced digital documentation such as 3D laser scanning, aerial photogrammetry, HBIM, and AI-based predictive modelling. By treating roofs not only as structural features but also as expressions of craftsmanship, liturgical design, and transregional exchange, the project will create the first open-access digital platform dedicated to Mendicant roofing systems and support more effective preventive conservation of these vulnerable historic buildings.
Objective
The churches of the Mendicant Orders were central to shaping medieval urban landscapes. Yet their timber and stone roofing systems – crucial to both structure and liturgy – remain insufficiently studied. Understanding these complex elements is essential for advancing architectural heritage research and improving conservation practice, especially amid rising seismic and environmental risks.
ARChiFriars is a pioneering three-year research project focused on the roofs of four major Mendicant churches in Florence: S. Maria Novella (Dominicans), S. Croce (Franciscans), S. Spirito (Augustinians), and S. Maria del Carmine (Carmelites). It treats roofing systems not only as structural components but as key contributors to the spatial, aesthetic, and symbolic character of religious buildings – material records of craftsmanship and transregional exchange.
Combining historical research, building archaeology, and digital documentation, the project develops an integrated method using 3D laser scanning, aerial photogrammetry, structural analysis, and archival studies. At the forefront of digital heritage, it will create the first open-access platform dedicated to Mendicant roofing systems, powered by HBIM (Historic Building Information Modelling) and enhanced with AI-based predictive modelling – a major innovation for preventive conservation.
Research will be carried out at the University of Florence, with an outgoing phase at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and a secondment at ETH Zurich, providing expertise in architectural conservation, material culture, and historic building technologies.
ARChiFriars will equip the fellow with advanced interdisciplinary skills, international experience, and public-engagement training, contributing to scholarly knowledge and the long-term safeguarding of cultural heritage. Its outcomes will support conservation authorities, researchers, and communities in better managing historic religious sites.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
50121 Florence
Italy
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