Historical lime‐based flooring mortars from the Church of Santa Maria de Alcobaça monastery (12th century), Portugal: A multi‐analytical approach

Abstract

AbstractThe Monastery of Alcobaça houses in reserve the ceramic tiles that adorned the floor of the church's apse. These tiles were removed during rehabilitation works and many preserve part of their original fixing mortars. A comprehensive analysis of 21 samples was conducted using a multi‐analytical approach (X‐ray fluorescence, X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy–energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, μ‐Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetry–differential thermal analysis, optical microscopy, and colorimetry). Results suggest compositional variations in the samples from the back and sides of the ceramic tiles; however, the mineralogy and general characteristics of the aggregates remained consistent between the samples and are coherent with the local geology, suggesting a shared historical origin.