The Shroud of Turin

The History and Legends of the World's Most Famous Relic

Andrea Nicolotti, Jeffrey M. Hunt,R. A. Smith

• Publisher: Baylor University Press
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781481311519
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: History of Christianity

Shrouds have long held a special place among the sacred relics of Christendom. In the Middle Ages, shrouds, like holy relics, were the prize possessions of churches and cities.

Cloaked in mystery, these artifacts have long been objects of reverence and awe, as well as sources of debates, quarrels, thefts, and excommunications. Shrouds—so some claim—provide visible testimony to faith. One in particular has drawn the interest of scholars, clergy, and the public alike: the Shroud of Turin.

In The Shroud of Turin, Andrea Nicolotti chronicles the history of this famous cloth, including its circuitous journey from the French village of Lirey to its home in the Italian city of Turin, as well as the fantastical claims surrounding its origin and modern scientific efforts to prove or disprove its authenticity.

Full of intrigue and mystery, The Shroud of Turin dismantles hypotheses that cannot survive the rigors of historical analysis. Nicolotti directly addresses the thorny problem of the authenticity of the relic and the difficult relationship between history, faith, and science.

Table of contents

• Cover, Endorsements, Frontispiece, Title Page, Copyright
• Contents
• List of Figures
• Abbreviations
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction to the English Edition
• Genealogical Stemma
• 1. The Birth and Development of a Cult
• 1.1. The Fate of Jesus’ Burial Cloths
• 1.2. Medieval Shrouds and Sudariums
• 2. The Shroud of Lirey-Chambéry-Turin
• 2.1. Origins
• 2.2. Passage of the Shroud’s Ownership
• 3. The Shroud in Piedmont
• 3.1. The Early Days of the Shroud in Turin
• 3.2. Between the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
• 4. The Shroud and Modernity
• 4.1. Science and History
• 4.2. The Fragility of the Hard Sciences
• 4.3. Between Monarchy and Republic
• 4.4. The Postconciliar Period
• 5. The Creation of a Myth
• 5.1. A Rebirth
• 5.2. The Invention of a Story
• 5.3. The Era of Radiocarbon
• 5.4. A Revival in the Third Millennium
• Index of Names