Shroud of Turin

Shroud of Turin, linen cloth bearing the image of a crucified man, believed to be Jesus' burial cloth. Stored at the Cathedral of Turin since 1578, the shroud measures 14 ft 3 in by 3 ft 7 in (434 cm by 109 cm). It received publicity in the 1970s and 1980s when it became available for scientific research. Tests proved that the negative image was not painted but did not determine how it was produced. They also showed, from pollen and dust samples, that the linen could have been in the Palestine area where Jesus died and that bloodstains on the fabric were genuine. However, radiocarbon dating (1988) seemed to prove that the cloth is no older than about 500 years. Theologians, historians, and scientists have sustained the controversy surrounding the shroud, particularly since no early accounts of an imaged burial cloth exist. Historians usually agree that the shroud's whereabouts can be traced from the 500s with a gap from 1204 to 1355. However, recent research has shown that it is in fact possible that the shroud dates from the beginning of our era. In April 1996 the shroud was saved from a fire which destroyed the chapel.