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©1978 Barrie M. Schwortz Collection, STERA, Inc.
The Shroud of Turin is a centuries old linen cloth that bears the image of a crucified man. A man that millions believe to be Jesus of Nazareth. Is it really the cloth that wrapped his crucified body, or is it simply a medieval forgery, a hoax perpetrated by some clever artist? Modern science has completed hundreds of thousands of hours of detailed study and intense research on the Shroud. It is, in fact, the single most studied artifact in human history, and we know more about it today than we ever have before. And yet, the controversy still rages.
©1978 Barrie M. Schwortz Collection, STERA, Inc.
In June-July 2002, a major restoration
of the Shroud of Turin was undertaken by its owners. All thirty
of the patches sewn into the cloth in 1534 by the Poor Clare nuns to
repair the damage caused by the 1532 fire were removed. This allows the
first unrestricted view of the actual holes burned into the cloth by the
fire. It appears that some of the most seriously charred areas
surrounding the burn holes were also removed during the restoration,
most likely to allow the Shroud to be properly resewn to the new backing
cloth. The original backing cloth (known as the Holland Cloth) that was
added at the same time as the patches, was also removed and replaced
with a new, lighter colored cloth, which can now be seen through the
burn holes. Although the creases and wrinkles that had been previously
evident on the Shroud are not visible in this photograph, I am assured
by those who have seen the restored cloth that they are in fact, still
there. These are critical because they can help determine how the cloth
was folded over the centuries and constitute an important clue for
historians. By scrolling this page up and down, you can compare the
cloth as it appeared for over 400 years with its new appearance today.
Courtesy of: http//www.Shroud.com