What is the Shroud of Turin?
The Shroud of Turin, so-called because the Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista in Turin has been its permanent home since 1578, is an ancient, fire-damaged and bloodstained cloth. It measures 14 ft 3 in by 3 ft 7 and bears faint images of the front and back of a naked man. For centuries, this large, linen cloth has been venerated by many Christians as a sacred relic. According to tradition, it is the actual burial cloth that wrapped the body of Jesus Christ as it lay in the tomb following the Crucifixion.
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Before the late nineteenth century, most people outside Italy were unaware of the Shroud’s existence. However, this changed dramatically in 1898, after it was photographed for the first time by an amateur photographer named Secondo Pia following one of the Shroud’s rare public displays.
The publication of the photographic negatives taken by Pia caused an immediate sensation. These photographic negatives reversed the light and dark shading of the barely visible imprints to reveal strikingly clear and life-like images of the front and back of a man. The bloodstains also marked realistic blood flows across this image, emanating from wounds which accurately matched those described in bible accounts of the events of passion and crucifixion of Jesus.
Move mouse over (or click) the above photograph to display the photographic negative
“Closed in my darkroom, completely intent on my work, I felt a very profound emotion when, during the development, I saw appearing on the plate, first the Holy Face, with such clarity that I was astonished and at the same time happy, since from that moment I could have the certainty that my work would have a good outcome.”
Secondo Pia
These extraordinary images have so intrigued subsequent generations of scientists, historians and artists that the Shroud of Turin is often claimed to be the world’s most studied historical object. Perhaps the most well-publicised of these studies of the Shroud was a radiocarbon dating test performed in 1988. This result indicated that the cloth was not from the time of Jesus Christ but dated instead to the period 1260 to 1390 AD, prompting widespread belief that it is a medieval forgery. However the overwhelming majority of research evidence contradicts that result and most of those who have studied this evidence have become convinced that it is authentic.
How the image on the cloth was formed remains a mystery which continues to defy explanation and no-one has yet been able to produce an image with the same extraordinary characteristics. According to author John Walsh:
“The Shroud of Turin is either the most awesome and instructive relic of Jesus Christ in existence – showing us in its dark simplicity how he appeared to men – or it is one of the most ingenious, most unbelievably clever, products of the human mind and hand on record. It is one or the other; there is no middle ground.”
So which is it: an awesome relic or the most ingenious product ever created by a human?
If you’re curious to find out more about this enigmatic cloth then this website which is designed by the British Society for the Turin Shroud (BSTS) will provide you with information that should help you make up your mind. It outlines many of the findings that have been made from over a century of studies and examinations of this enigmatic cloth. It also provides links to detailed research papers, articles and videos to help anyone who wishes to explore this evidence in more depth.
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The Shroud of Turin: first century or medieval cloth?
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