Ground Penetrating Radar Survey Inside the S. Agata Cathedral of Catania (Eastern Sicily)

This article presents the results of a ground penetrating radar survey carried out in 2003
inside the S. Agata Cathedral of Catania (eastern Sicily). The aim was to reconstruct the subsurface
conditions of the central nave floor to assess the load-bearing capacity of the vauable
pavement in view of restoration interventions. Data was acquired with a multi-antenna array
along a grid of transversal and longitudinal profiles, for a total length of approximately 700
m. Georadar images of the subsoil were used to locate anomalies probably associated with
crypts, some of them unknown before the present study, and strengthening elements beneath
the pavement. A three-dimensional model of the subsoil in a portion of the study area has
been obtained from the interpretation of the ground penetrating radar images.