Thursday, February 13, 2014

Turin Cathedral, the guardian of the Holy Shroud, one of the most famous medieval relics, even if the one on show is a copy

Turin Cathedral
Duomo

















Built in 1498 and dedicated to St. John the Baptist, il duomo (the cathedral) is the only example of Renaissance architecture in Turin.
The square bell tower of the Duomo contrasts with the sumptuous baroque buildings in the city.
The interior of the cathedral is decorated with many statues and paintings.
Beyond the black marble arch in the right hand nave is the chapel of the Holy Shroud.

Cathedral of Turin
Inside of the cathedral

















It is a singular construction with an extraordinary cupola, designed by Guarino Guarini.
At the top of the altar is the urn with the famous Shroud.
The relic is kept in the Turin cathedral.
The Holy Shroud, considered to be the cloth in which the body of Christ was wrapped after his death, owes its fame to the fact that the material shows the image of a crucified man with a wound in his side and marks like those which might have been produced by a crown of thorns on the head.

Dome of the cathedral of Turin
Dome


It is one of the most famous medieval relics.
It was already in the possession of the House of the Savoys in 1430 and they put it on show in the Guarini chapel from1694 on.
The original is not on view but situated in a silver casket closed on the inside by a coffer which is inside a marble sarcophagus.
The one on show is a copy.

Cathedral of Turin
Holy Shroud


















In 1988 its authenticity was questioned: in fact a test showed that the shroud did not date back further than the XII century but a subsequent test disproved it.
Despite all this the Shroud remains an object of veneration for the Catholic religion.
Millions of people come from all over the world to venerate it.