The timber roof of the church of sant’Agostino in Cremona

The current church of Sant'Agostino dates back almost entirely to the 14th century (1340-1370 ca.) and has a three-aisles structure built in two distinct construction phases. Originally it had vaults covering the presbytery alone, while the aisles had an exposed wooden roof; between 1553 and 1559 the interior of the church was renovated, creating the vaults to cover the three aisles, thus hiding the timber roof from sight. The original roof was intended to be seen from inside the church and it is still well preserved in the nave and southern aisle; it presented interesting construction features and some simple polychrome decorations, still preserved in a few elements. On the basis of a careful dimensional, geometric, material and constructional survey, the article will describe in detail the constructive characteristics of the interesting fourteenth-century structure.