Medieval Manor of Potamia, Nicosia

Medieval Manor of Potamia, Nicosia

The Medieval Manor of Potamia is a composite building complex, which incorporates stone and adobe masonry structures dating from the 14th to the 20th century. The Manor occupies a plan area >5500 m². Although the west part of the building complex has rather recently been restored, the east part remains in a ruinous condition. The two aforementioned parts are separated by a courtyard that includes the remnants of a large water tank and a well. The east part mainly consists of one-storey high stone masonry constructions dated to the 14th-16th century, with several later modifications/additions of stone and adobes. The stones, which are rich in calcite, generally possess rather low compressive strength and density, and significant porosity, as shown below:

• Apparent Density (EN 1936): 1725 kg/m³
• Open Porosity (EN 1936): 35%
• Compressive Strength (EN 1926): 2.5-4.5 MPa 

The aforementioned tests for the characterization of the monument's stone were carried out in 2018, in the framework of the postgraduate course "CON 500 Capstone Design Project" of the interdisciplinary and interdepartmental MSc program "Conservation and Restoration of Historic Buildings and Sites" of the University of Cyprus. Sampling and testing was carried out by staff of the Building Materials and LEDRA Laboratories of the University of Cyprus and by students of the graduate program.

University of Cyprus - Ledra and Building Materials Labs & The Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ΕΤΕΚ)

https://www.scipedia.com/public/Illampas_et_al_2021a

University of Cyprus - Ledra and Building Materials Labs & The Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ΕΤΕΚ)

University of Cyprus - Ledra and Building Materials Labs

University of Cyprus - Ledra and Building Materials Labs

Photos taken by Ioannis Ioannou, University of Cyprus - Ledra and Building Materials Labs