The church of San Pietro Barisano suffers from the deterioration problems common to the all rupestrian churches of Matera, due to being entirely or partially excavated inside rocky boulders. In addition, the various function performed in the past by some of its spaces, such as ossuary or drains for corpses, and then the long years of abandonment, have led to a sever deterioration of the structures and materials.
Considerable conservation problems have occurred over the long period of time: the synergy between the intrinsic nature of the constituent stone, environmental parameters, and chemical-biological contaminants, has resulted and continues to result in salt efflorescence, biological patinas, and pulverisation of stone and plasterwork.
The artefacts subject to restoration demonstrate, with their fragile state of preservation, the vicissitudes suffered by this place. The painted wall surfaces, as well as those of the sculpted stones, had suffered all the phenomena linked to the heavy presence of humidity, and were covered with white coats of crystallised salts; the wood of the two large frames in the altar of the Crocifisso and in the central altar and those of the fragments of the altar of San Giuseppe were deteriorated and damaged; the embossed bronze sheet covering two little wooden doors was completely deformed and covered with metal alteration products.
In the years of abandonment, this was augmented by serious breakages and losses due to vandalism and spoliation.