The Shroud of Turin

Record summary

The Shroud of Turin is a linen cloth bearing a faint body image and associated with Christian relic traditions. Its securely documented history begins in medieval France, while supporters have proposed an earlier origin connected to Jesus. Radiocarbon testing published in 1989 dated sampled material to the medieval period, though later critics argued that the sample may have been from a repaired or contaminated section. The lead matters for comparing relic formation, devotional transmission, conservation and scientific testing. It should be treated as a historically influential object and contested relic, not verified proof of crucifixion or resurrection.