The roof is on fire! A dendrochronological reconstruction of the restoration of the Basilica of Our Lady in Tongeren (Belgium)

A dendrochronological study of the roofs of the Basilica of Our Lady in Tongeren (Belgium) showed that the current roofs date to the period right after the deliberate burning of the church in 1677. High resolution dendrochronological dates - based on wood-anatomical observations of the outermost tree-ring - combined with detailed archival sources, allow us to trace the progress of reconstruction of the various roofs throughout the years following the fire at an intra-annual resolution. This provides an exceptionally detailed timeline of both the temporal and spatial progress of the reconstruction of the roofs of the Basilica of Our Lady. As such, this case-study can serve as a very detailed reference for the study of post-medieval roofs and the workflow during their construction.