Marks on Sudarium of Ovieto match those on Shroud of Turin, researcher says

May 07, 2015

At a conference dedicated to scientific study of the Shroud of Turin, a researcher said that the markings on the Shroud are fully compatible with those on the Sudarium of Oviedo: the cloth believed to have been used to wrap the head of Jesus when He was buried.

Alfonso Sanchez Hermosilla, a doctor of forensic medicine, told the conference that “all the information that emerged from the scientific investigation is compatible with the theory that the Turin Shroud and the Sudarium covered the corpse of the same person.” The two cloths are made from similar textiles, they bear traces of pollen suggesting an origin in the Holy Land, and their markings appear to show wounds that match the description of Christ’s suffering in the Gospels.

The Sudarium of Oviedo has been kept since 840 AD in a chapel now located within the San Salvador cathedral in the Spanish city. Unlike the Shroud of Turin, the Sudarium does not show a clear image, but stains on the cloth are believed to be from the blood of Christ immediately after the Crucifixion. The cloth was reportedly kept in Jerusalem until the 7th century, then taken by a circuitous route to Spain for safekeeping.

The conference of Sindonologists—scientists engaged in study of the Shroud of Turin—is taking place this year simultaneously with a public exhibition of the Shroud. The conference open only by invitation to researchers.

 

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Further information:

• “Stains on the Sudarium of Oviedo coincide with those on the Shroud” (Vatican Insider)