Study and characterization of the ancient bricks of monastery of "San Filippo di Fragala" in Frazzano (Sicily)

The ancient bricks of the monastery of Fragala in Frazzano, the first Basilian-Norman center in Sicily and symbol of 15 centuries of cultural life, were studied and characterized by a combination of techniques (INAA, ICP, porosimetry, HPLC, TG-DTA and XRD). Chemical analysis shows that the Byzantine samples were mainly manufactured by calcareous clay while medieval ones were made of limeless clay. The combined results of TG-DTA and XRD analyses, based on the presence of high-T Ca silicate phases, suggest that the firing temperature was not exceeding 900 °C while HPLC investigations evidence that the building does not suffer from decay phenomena due to the presence of soluble salts.