A Trial of Digital Preservation: the Meryemana Rupestrian Church in Goreme, Turkey

This case study discusses the Meryemana church in Gi:ireme (Cappadocia, Turkey), a small rupestrian church enriched by mural paintings of the life of Virgin Mary. This small monument represents a valuable heritage which is at risk due to the poor stability of the rock in which it has been excavated. The church is a part of an extended system of refuges and spaces, but the "monastery" in which the church was included has almost disappeared. In 2012 and 2013 a team of researchers from DIDA (Dipartimento di Architettura, Florence University) and DISBEC (Dipartimento di Scienze dei Beni Culturali, Tuscia University) carried out a survey of this church with the purpose of showing the artefact in its current state and finding digital procedures to avoid its permanent loss.