🧣 Cathedral of the Holy Shroud, Turin
Italy
About This Sacred Site
The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin houses Christianity's most famous and controversial relic: the Shroud of Turin, a linen cloth bearing the faint image of a man that many believe to be the burial shroud of Jesus Christ. The 4.4-meter cloth has been the subject of intense scientific study, with its origin still debated. The Shroud is rarely displayed publicly; its most recent exhibitions drew millions of pilgrims. The Royal Chapel of the Holy Shroud, designed by Guarino Guarini with its extraordinary mathematical dome, was badly damaged by fire in 1997 but has been restored.
Key Facts
- •The Shroud is a linen cloth measuring approximately 4.4 by 1.1 meters
- •Radiocarbon dating in 1988 suggested a medieval origin, but this remains disputed
- •The 2015 public exhibition drew over 2 million visitors in 67 days
- •Guarini's dome for the Chapel of the Holy Shroud is an architectural marvel of nested hexagons
- •The Shroud survived a fire in 1532 and another in 1997
Location
Coordinates: 45.0731, 7.6856
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