Sudarium of Oviedo
The Sudarium of Ovideo is another ancient cloth which, like the Shroud, is revered as a relic of the burial of Jesus. It measures approximately 21 by 34 inches and is believed by many to be a cloth that was wrapped around the head and face of Jesus after he died on the cross.
It’s mentioned in the Gospel of John:
“Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.”
Gospel of John, Ch. 20, vs. 6-7
(Photo courtesy of Reinhard Dietrich and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en)
Bloodstain Evidence
There are no image markings on the Sudarium but it is heavily bloodstained, apparently due to blood and bodily fluids seeping from wounds in the head and neck. There are also bloodstains found on the corresponding area of the Shroud, so it’s possible to compare the blood evidence found on these two cloths. This can be done in two ways: by chemical and immunological analysis of the blood and by forensic analysis of the bloodstain patterns. This comparison provides valuable dating evidence.
The blood on both these cloths has been shown to contain type A and B antigens, indicating a possible AB blood group classification. This is a rare group found in only 3% of the world’s population.
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The patterning of bloodstains found on the two cloths provides another way of establishing a connection between them. The largest Sudarium bloodstains are believed to have been the result of its contact with the nose and mouth which bled heavily whilst the cloth was in place. These facial bloodstains align remarkably accurately with equivalent markings found on the Shroud.
There are also Sudarium bloodstains which correspond to wounds on the back of the head and neck and these accurately match the size and placement of similar wounds seen on the Shroud. It is believed that most of these were caused by the Crown of Thorns, although some appear to be injuries resulting from a violent scourging.
Mineral Deposits
Scientists who have studied the Sudarium have also discovered addition evidence that appears to connect this cloth with the Shroud. They used a technique known as X-Ray fluorescence analysis to detect the presence of specific chemical elements and found a particularly high amount of calcium, most likely due to the presence of limestone dust, at a point corresponding with the tip of the nose. The nose isn’t a place that is usually associated with dirt deposits but studies of the Shroud have also revealed the presence of dirt around the tip of the nose, as well as the knees and feet.
In addition, the mineral strontium was also present with the calcium but at much lower levels than are found in most types of limestone. However, the level was comparable with that of limestone dust from Jerusalem, where the limestone is particularly pure, and also matched the results of corresponding tests performed with the dust particles from the Shroud.
There is an unbroken historical record that traces the Sudarium back to the year 614 AD when it was taken from Jerusalem. The bloodstains on the Sudarium must have been left on the cloth before that date and so the same must be true of the matching bloodstains found on the Shroud. This therefore indicates that the Shroud is at least 750 years older than the earliest the earliest date that is considered possible by the radiocarbon dating. However the Sudarium is also mentioned in 570 AD by Antoninus of Piacenza, who wrote that it was located near Jerusalem, and by a Greek poet named Nonnos of Panopolis writing around 400 AD. If these references are correct then this indicates that the Shroud also existed at the start of the fifth century.
The following links provide further information on the Sudarium of Oviedo
The Sudarium of Oviedo: Its History and Relationship to the Shroud of Turin. An article by Mark Guscin (1997)
The Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium of Oviedo. An article by César Barta published in BSTS Newsletter No. 96, December 2022.
Recent Historical Investigations on the Sudarium of Oviedo. An article by Mark Guscin (1999).
New coincidence between Shroud of Turin and Sudarium of Oviedo. A research paper by César Barta et al published in SHS Web of Conferences, Vol. 15 Article No.8 (2015)
