The Shroud of Turin is a linen cloth on which the outlines of the human body are clearly visible. Its dimensions are 1 by 4 meters. The fabric contains two symmetrical images of the human body, head to head, that is, from the back and front. It is generally accepted that the body of Jesus Christ was wrapped in this matter after it was taken down from the cross. Thus, on the shroud one can see not just an image of a person, but the face of Christ. The drawing is not very bright, but distinct, made in golden yellow tones. The fabric contains numerous traces of blood from wounds on the head, body, feet and hands.
The first mystery of the Turin Shroud: where was it kept for two thousand years? The first mentions of it were found in documents from the 12th century. Then it disappears from the historical chronicles again and appears two more centuries later. Only since 1578, the shroud found a permanent home in the city of Turin, which is where its name comes from.
Testimonies that Jesus' body was wrapped in cloth can be found in all of his disciples. But where did she go after his resurrection remains a mystery. In the chronicles of the Orthodox Church there is information that in the 11-13th centuries the shroud was kept in Constantinople. In 1204, during the crusade, matter disappears and again began to appear in documents only 150 years later. There is an assumption that it was kept by the Templars all this time.
After the shroud was found, the canons of the image of Jesus, who had previously been depicted as chubby and beardless, with short hair cut, changed dramatically.
Riddle two: what is the image on the Turin Shroud and how did it appear? In the Middle Ages, the shroud was declared "an artistic reproduction of the face of the savior." This opinion persisted until the end of the 19th century. But even at that time, pilgrims from all over the world flocked to worship the shrine. In 1898, the first amazing discovery was made. Photographer Secondo Pia took a photo of the shroud. In the photo, the image appeared as a negative. Thus, it turned out that the face on the shroud was "painted" with light or some other miraculous way. This fact made even skeptics believe in the authenticity of the relic.
In 1969, scientists began to study the shroud. But the level of development of technology only in 1978 made it possible to make new discoveries. It has been confirmed that the brown spots are indeed dried blood. As for the face, it is still not clear how it appeared on the fabric. One thing became clear: this was definitely not the work of the artist, since no traces of paint were found on the matter.
There are many hypotheses. Some researchers suggest that the tissue was affected by radiation. Energy unknown to science was released from the body, wrapped in the shroud, and left its exact imprint on it. Another hypothesis is that the body of Jesus passed from a material state to a spiritual one, and at that moment it was projected onto the fabric. There are other versions that only confirm that a person is still far from solving the mystery of the Turin Shroud.