Frequently observed damage in historic masonry vaults has always given rise to concerns
on their stability. The effect of present damage on masonry vaults structural response should
be taken into consideration during structural analysis as it clearly affects its behavior. The
aim is to propose a method to study the safety of vaults, setting up a finite element model
with a limited number of discontinuities, based on the consideration of the vault construction
and damage observation. A case study from Milan cathedral is adopted where damage is …