The preservation of wall paintings depends in a large measure on the health of the architectural support, conditioned by a wall's structural stability, moisture, and acidity. The causes that lead to a decrease in the load-bearing capacity of a wall are examined first, taking the Abbey Church at Herrenberg, Germany, as a case study. Precision drilling and insertion of steel rods were the consolidation techniques used. Frequent cement injections reestablish stability but may be disastrous in the presence of wall paintings. Resins may be used after testing the structure's permeability to vapor. Problems caused by moisture are not to be dealt with separately from those caused by the presence of salts in the water, and conclusions drawn from close study of all these questions can help to determine limited remedial measures.