{"id":96767,"date":"2024-11-28T10:00:50","date_gmt":"2024-11-28T09:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/icac.cat\/?p=96767"},"modified":"2024-12-01T13:10:32","modified_gmt":"2024-12-01T12:10:32","slug":"digitalisation-cathedral-tarragona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/icac.cat\/en\/actualitat\/noticies\/2024\/digitalisation-cathedral-tarragona\/","title":{"rendered":"The digitalisation of the Cathedral of Tarragona heritage complex reveals the testimony of 2,000 years of history"},"content":{"rendered":"
The methods and techniques used in the work have been revealed, as have the possibilities offered by digital documentation of the temple, such as musealization, virtual reality and 3D printing.<\/h6>\n

This Wednesday, November 27, the results of the architectural digitalization project of the Cathedral of Tarragona heritage complex were presented, allowing the graphic documentation of the chapels, the cloister, and the rest of the temple’s rooms. Three experts, Andreu Mu\u00f1oz Melgar, Josep Maria Puche Fontanilles, and Agust\u00ed Costa Jover<\/strong>, have presented the results, methods, and techniques used in this pioneering initiative, as well as the possibilities it offers for the conservation, research, and dissemination of this unique heritage. Applications such as musealization, virtual reality, or 3D printing are just some of the opportunities that this technology opens up.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Project results are key to the documentation, conservation, and research of one of the most emblematic monuments of Tarragona, witness to 2,000 years of history.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The project is part of the four-year research programme in archaeology and palaeontology (2022-2025) of the Department of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya, entitled \u201cExcavacions en el conjunt monumental de la Catedral de Tarragona (III Fase)\u201d<\/a> (CLT009\/22\/00102), directed by the Institut Catal\u00e0 d\u2019Arqueologia Cl\u00e0ssica<\/strong> (with leading researcher Josep Maria Macias<\/a>) and the Museu Dioces\u00e0 de Tarragona<\/a> (MDT), with the collaboration of the Escola T\u00e8cnica Superior d’Arquitectura de la Universitat Rovira i Virgili<\/a> (ETSA-URV) and the support of the Tarragona City Council<\/a> and Repsol<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
The architectural digitalisation project of the Tarragona Cathedral has allowed the graphic documentation of the chapels, the cloister, and the rest of the temple’s rooms. Image: ICAC (CC 4.0).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

The delegate for Culture of the Archbishopric of Tarragona and co-director of the excavation project in the monumental complex of the Tarragona Cathedral (Phase III), Andreu Mu\u00f1oz Melgar<\/strong><\/a>, has contextualised the project within the institutional and historical framework and has highlighted the support of the different institutions and the importance of preserving this heritage for future generations.<\/p>\n

The ICAC specialist technician responsible for the graphic documentation of the project, Josep M. Puche Fontanilles<\/strong><\/a>, has explained the challenges of the digitalisation process, considering that graphically documenting a space like this always represents a challenge due to its size and its historical and artistic wealth. Tarragona Cathedral is particularly complex because it combines elements from very diverse periods: from the Temple of Augustus to vestiges of the early Christian cathedral and Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque constructions. He also highlighted the transversality of the project, which has combined advanced technologies with the collaboration of academic institutions, private companies, and public bodies.<\/p>\n

The professor of the Higher Technical School of Architecture of the Rovira i Virgili University, Agust\u00ed Costa Jover<\/strong><\/a>, has detailed the scanning campaign carried out in May 2024, which has made it possible to create a point cloud that reproduces the entire cathedral complex with great precision. This digital document, which combines billions of topographic data, is essential for conservation and opens up new avenues for research and dissemination, including applications in virtual reality and 3D printing.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n
A unique monumental ensemble<\/h5>\n

The Tarragona Cathedral is a monumental complex that combines architectural vestiges from 2,000 years of history. From the sacred Roman precinct dedicated to Emperor Augustus to one of the largest Romanesque cathedrals in Christendom, this monumental building presents a unique architectural and symbolic wealth. In addition, it preserves vestiges of the early Christian cathedral and elements of great Renaissance and Baroque value.<\/p>\n

The complexity of its study has required a multidisciplinary approach, integrating archaeologists, architects, and engineers, who have been working collaboratively since 2004. This digitalisation project allows us to understand the complex’s complexity better and make its historical evolution visible. It offers tools so that the public and the scientific community can explore this heritage with unprecedented depth.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/div>
<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n
A transversal and multidisciplinary project<\/h5>\n

The project, which is part of the four-year research programmes in archaeology and palaeontology<\/a> of the Department of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya (2022-2025), has required the collaboration of various institutions and specialised teams. It is led by the Institut Catal\u00e0 d\u2019Arqueologia Cl\u00e0ssica (ICAC)<\/strong> and the Museu Dioces\u00e0 de Tarragona<\/a> (MDT), with the support of the Higher Technical School of Architecture of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili<\/a> (ETSA-URV), which has carried out the scanning campaigns with cutting-edge technology such as terrestrial laser scanners. This work has also included the participation of researchers from the University of Seville through the European project Smart Build Heritage<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The digital documentation generated, based on a point cloud that reproduces the architectural complex with up-to-millimetre precision, constitutes a fundamental basis for the conservation of this heritage while offering great potential for new lines of research and innovation in cultural dissemination<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n
Results with impact<\/h5>\n

Various media outlets have been interested in the results of the project. Tv3<\/a><\/strong> has highlighted the applications that the digitalisation of the monumental complex of the Tarragona Cathedral allows, from the identification of possible construction problems that could damage the heritage to the creation of 3D reproductions that favour the dissemination and education about the artistic, historical and cultural value of the monument.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n