The nave of the Madeleine of Vézelay

The structure of the nave of the abbey church of the Madeleine of Vézelay has experienced gross horizontal displacements at the pier tops and vertical displacements at the crown of the arches. Although the use of elastic homogeneous material models does not explain the magnitude of the deformations of the nave structure, the magnitude and character of the observed deformations can be explained by removing the tensile capacity of the joints and using the plastic deformation characteristics of the lime mortar materials used in the construction of the structure.