The case history chosen for this study is the church of Veracruz, the most representative church of the cultural heritage of the city of Medellin, Colombia. The church construction was started in 1682 and its front was built with peridotite, an ultramafic rock containing more than 90% of iron and magnesium minerals, such as olivine and pyroxene. The possible causes of biodeterioration are studied by using microbiological techniques of isolation and culture, complemented with optical and electron scanning microscopy (SEM) observations. The impact of atmospheric factors on the structural material are studied by assessing the characteristics and amount of atmospheric pollutants. Three different surface analysis techniques were used: energy dispersion Xray analysis (EDAX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR spectroscopy).
Key words: biodeterioration, weathering, cultural heritage, biofilms.