~by Joseph Kaiser

February 20, 2012: The Shroud of Turin I—From Tomb to Turin

In the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, reposes the Shroud that wrapped the body of Jesus as he lay in the tomb. The Shroud measures fourteen feet long by three feet wide. On it is a faint sepia image of a 5-foot, 11-inch male, that is, Jesus. Rather, there are two full length images, one of the front; the other of the back. The front image of the head abuts the rear head image. Apparently Jesus was laid on his back with his feet at one end of the Shroud while the other end was pulled over his head and draped over his body.

This is the very wrapping referred to in the gospel of St. John. “. . . the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived . . . he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there . . .  Then the other disciple also went in . . . and he saw and believed.” Jn 20:4-8

This Lenten series will present what we know, and what we can presume to know, about the Shroud from tantalizing bits of Church history. This article traces the location of the Shroud during the almost 2000 years since St. Peter discovered it in the tomb.

Certainly, St. Peter would have taken custody of the Shroud on Easter morning. He knew that the image  he saw on the Shroud would not have found a receptive audience among the Jews because of their prohibition of “graven images.” In 47 A.D. St. Peter no doubt took it with him when he went to Antioch,  and likely left the Shroud with the Christian community there when he went to Rome. The Church in Antioch kept it concealed for the next 300 years. Then, in 357, the Arians (a heretical sect who taught that Jesus was not of the same substance as the Father) seized control of the See of Antioch.  The Arians are known to have exhibited relics of the Passion, presumably including the Holy Shroud, for the next five years.

When the emperor Julian attempted to seize these relics in 362, an Arian priest hid them in the Golden Basilica in Antioch, suffering death rather than reveal their whereabouts.  In 526 and 528, major earthquakes destroyed most of Antioch, including the Basilica. The Shroud was probably discovered at that time. In 540, Syria attacked and completely destroyed the newly rebuilt city of Antioch. Before the attack, many Christians left and sought refuge in Edessa (the present-day city of Urfa in southeast Turkey). It is more than likely that they took the Shroud with them. We know that for the next 400 years, the Edessans venerated a holy icon described as “not made by human hands.”

In 943, the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire, Romulus, laid siege to Edessa because he wanted the Shroud brought to Constantinople. Rather than use force, however, Romulus offered money and a perpetual immunity from attack, if the Edessans turned over the Shroud, which they did. Records indicate that from 944 to 1204 the Shroud was exhibited and venerated in Constantinople in its full length as the burial cloth of Christ.

In 1204, Crusaders sacked Constantinople, and the Shroud disappeared for the next 145 years. Some organization must have had the means and the motive for keeping it hidden. It seems likely that until 1349, the Shroud was in the possession of the Knights Templar. These were warrior monks who may have used the Shroud to enhance their prestige and may also have used it in initiation ceremonies. Sometime before 1349, the Shroud became the property of a man named Geoffery de Charny, a French nobleman/warrior. We believe King Philip VI gave it to him as a reward for valor in battle. The de Charny family exhibited the Shroud for many years beginning is 1349. The Shroud passed down through the de Charny family until 1453, when Margaret de Charny (Geoffery’s granddaughter) sold it to Louis, Duke of Savoy. Thus, the House of Savoy, the ruling family of the kingdom of Italy, became the owner of the Shroud.

In 1578, the Shroud was moved to the Turin, Italy, palace of Savoy Duke Emmanuel Philibert. where he built The Chapel of the Holy Shroud, joining the apse of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Upon his death in 1983, of Duke Umberto II of Savoy willed the Shroud to the Holy See. The Archbishop of Turin presently is the custodian of the Shroud.

Next week, we will “listen” to the Silent Witness to Jesus’ passion and death.

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Following a stint in the Navy, Joe Kaiser received a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Kentucky, where he and his wife of 62 years, Mary, grew up. Following college, Joe had a 50-year career in technical and marketing communications. Always active in parish life, Joe was ordained deacon in Springfield, MA, and is now retired and living in Sarasota, FL.

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