Are you going on holiday to Turin in Italy? Do you want to catch a glimpse of the Shroud of Turin? Our guide gives you facts & information about the Shroud of Turin that you want to know.
The Shroud of Turin is believed to be one of the most important holy relics in all of Christendom and is visited by tens of thousands of people from all over the world whenever it is put on public display. The Shroud of Turin is believed to be the shroud in which the body of Jesus was placed after he was crucified.
The Shroud of Turin Today
Being the shroud in which the body of Jesus was supposedly wrapped, the Shroud of Turin obviously has a long history which did not begin in Turin. However, Turin has been home to the Shroud for the past five hundred years hence the association of the Shroud specifically with Turin. The Shroud is technically the property of the Vatican and it is only upon the express orders of the Pope and the Bishop of Turin that the Shroud can be placed on public display. The Shroud is not ordinarily on public display, however, once every few years the Shroud is exhibited to the public which usually draws huge crowds from Italy and abroad who all come to see the Shroud and obtain some kind of blessings through being near it. The age of the Turin shroud makes it very delicate which means the utmost care is taken in preserving it. The Turin shroud is normally kept in a specially designed vacuum sealed chamber laid out flat to prevent the cloth being worn away by air or bends in the shroud.
History of the Shroud of Turin
The first known home of the Turin Shroud is believed to be Constantinople which was the seat of the Holy Roman Empire in the East. The Shroud is believed to have been kept in Constantinople, which is now called Istanbul in Turkey, until the 13th Century. During the 13th Century nobles from across Europe partook in the fourth crusades and at some time, these crusaders swept through Constantinople and ransacked it taking among other things the Turin shroud. The Shroud eventually made its way to Turin because of the Duke of Savoy, who belonged to the ruling family of Turin that originally came from France. The shroud has remained in Turin ever since.
Authenticity of the Shroud of Turin
The authenticity of the Shroud of Turin is still unclear despite several tests that have been performed on it in recent years using the latest scientific techniques. A carbon dating test recently performed on the Shroud suggests that it is not old enough to have been used to cover the body of Jesus and actually only dates back to medieval times. However, other tests show that the shroud contains traces of plant pollen that only grow in the Middle East which suggests the shroud did come from the holy land.
