Catholic Dictionary
Find accurate definitions of over 5,000 Catholic terms and phrases (including abbreviations). Based on Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.
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HOLY SHROUD
Relic of the winding sheet in which Christ was likely buried, and venerated in turin, Italy. It is a strip of linen cloth, fourteen feet three inches long and three feet seven inches wide, bearing the front and back imprints of a human body. Tradition for its authenticity dates from the seventh century. Originally enshrined in France, it was transferred to Turin in 1578. It is kept in a richly decorated elaborate case behind the main altar. Recent analysis tends to verify the authenticity of this relic. The marks of the sweat and blood constitute a photographic phenomenon whose nature and preservation have not been explained naturally. An entire science, called sindonology (Latin sindo, shroud), has developed to study and draw theological implications from the Holy Shroud.
