Use and Conservation of Alabaster in Traditional Aragonese Architecture

Since ancient times alabaster has been used in architecture for many different purposes: as a loadbearingmaterial in the construction of walls and columns, in the manufacture of decorative elements(altarpieces, sarcophagi, capitals...), and as a substitute for glass in the illumination of interiors. InSpain, in areas with abundant natural resources, such as the region of Aragon, it is common to findchurches and hermitages with alabaster windows and oculi in clerestories and lanterns. In manyinstances the alabaster plates in these churches and hermitages are broken, detached or have beenreplaced with different materials. This material can also be found in traditional architecture close toalabaster quarries, including ones no longer in use, and has been used for ashlar plinths or lintel arches.This paper seeks to provide an introductory characterization of the material, the geographical locationof natural resources in Aragon, and the techniques most frequently used in the construction of historicarchitecture in rural areas, It also offers basic recommendations for the prevention, repair andmaintenance of the main pathologies identified.