Conservation of the Shroud of Turin

Conservation of the Shroud of Turin
The Shroud of Turin in 1931

The conservation of the Shroud of Turin refers to the conservation-restoration and enduring preservation of the Shroud of Turin to avoid further damage and contamination. Since 1578 the Shroud is kept in the Royal Chapel of Turin Cathedral (in 1694—1993 the Shroud rested in the Royal Chapel's Bertola altar), under the laminated bulletproof glass of the airtight case.[1] The temperature and humidity controlled-case is filled with argon (99.5%) and oxygen (0.5%) to prevent chemical changes, the Shroud itself is kept on an aluminum support sliding on runners and stored flat within the case.[1]

Contents

Public showings

When the Shroud is not on public display, the case is closed, during the public display the case can be moved, raised and opened. During the last centuries, the Shroud has been publicly exhibited a limited number of times[2][3], often on very special occasions.

18th century
  • 4 May 1722.
  • 4 May 1737: to celebrate the marriage of Charles Emmanuel III, Duke of Savoy and King of Sardinia.
  • 29 June 1750: to celebrate the marriage of Victor Amadeus III, then Prince of Sardinia.
  • 15 October 1775: to celebrate the marriage of Charles Emmanuel IV, then Prince of Sardinia.
19th century
20th century
  • 3–24 May 1931: to celebrate the marriage of Umberto II, then Prince of Piedmont. The Shroud is photographed for the second time (by Giuseppe Enrie).
  • 24 September–15 October 1933: requested by Pope Pius XI to mark the nineteenth centenary of the Resurrection.
  • 26 August–8 October 1978: to commemorate the fourth centenary of Turin’s custody of the Shroud.
  • 18 April–14 June 1998: to commemorate the centenary of the first photograph of the Shroud by Secondo Pia.
  • 12 August–22 October 2000: to commemorate the Jubilee anniversary of the birth of Jesus.
21st century
  • 10 April–23 May 2010: first public exhibition of the Shroud after its restoration in 2002

Restorations

On December 4, 1532 the Shroud sustained a fire, which burned out several holes in the fabric. In the spring of 1534 the Poor Clare Nuns patched the holes and placed a backing Holland cloth on the reverse.

On April 11, 1997 the Turin Cathedral sustained another fire, but the Shroud survived entirely unscathed. By that time the Shroud stayed within the three walls of plate glass each 11 feet (3.4 m) long and 6.5 feet (2.0 m) high. The fireman Mario Trematore decided to use a sledgehammer against the bulletproof glass to rescue the relic. Eventually he caused the 39mm thick material to shatter and another fireman arrived to help Trematore. When asked how he managed to break the glass, Trematore replied: "The bulletproof glass can stop bullets, but it cannot stop the strength of values represented by the symbol inside it. With only a hammer and our hands (still bleeding), we broke the glass".[4]

During the 2002 restoration, conducted by the Commission for the Conservation of the Shroud between June 20 and July 22, thirty triangular patches, sewn by nuns in 1534, as well as the Holland cloth, were removed. The pre-1516/pre-1192 L-shaped burn holes, called "poker holes" and mentioned in the 12th century Hungarian Pray Codex, have remained.

Natural hazards

Because of dehydration, which might have been involved in the image formation, the Shroud was not recommended to be stored in vacuum.[5] As the minor changes of temperature can enhance the pressure, humidity and mechanical stress, the Shroud's case was made climate-controlled.

An electron microscope investigation of the dust and pollens removed from the Shroud during the 1978 examination has revealed that some species of mites are resident on the cloth.[5] Lichenothelia and arachnids in one of the tape samples have been also observed.[5]

As the Shroud was rolled and unrolled for display throughout the centuries, it sustained a repeated abrasion of the charred edges to the areas holed in the fire.[6] The low magnification images of the blood areas already show an extensive abrasion of this type.[5] To reduce the stress of gravity the Shroud was suggested being in horizontal display. To minimize possible cosmic ray exposure, it was also suggested that the plane of the cloth be aligned perpendicular to the ground.

American researcher Alan D. Adler, confirming the presence of bilirubin on the fabric, noted that it is not light-stable and may change the color under any light.[6] According to Adler, since the image fibers are at or near saturation while the surrounding cloth is not, the latter will gradually get darker until the image first becomes a silhouette and later finally vanishes.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b Barrie M. Schwortz. "Shroud Exhibitions". The Shroud of Turin (shroud.com). Shroud of Turin Education and Research Association, Inc.. http://www.shroud.com/expos.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-04. 
  2. ^ Barrie M. Schwortz; Ian Wilson (1996). "Shroud History". The Shroud of Turin (shroud.com). Shroud of Turin Education and Research Association, Inc.. http://www.shroud.com/history.htm. Retrieved 2011-01-03. 
  3. ^ Wilson, Ian (1998). The blood and the shroud: new evidence that the world's most sacred relic is real. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9780684855295. 
  4. ^ Barrie M. Schwortz. "The 1997 Fire". The Shroud of Turin (shroud.com). Shroud of Turin Education and Research Association, Inc.. http://www.shroud.com/fire.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-04. 
  5. ^ a b c d Alan D. Adler, Larry A. Schwalbe. "Conservation Of The Shroud of Turin". Shroud Spectrum International, No. 42, December 1993. http://www.shroud.com/adler1.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-04. 
  6. ^ a b c "Comments On The Restoration". Shroud.com. http://www.shroud.com/restored.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-04. 

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Shroud of Turin — The Shroud of Turin: modern photo of the face, positive left, negative right. Negative has been contrast enhanced. The Shroud of T …   Wikipedia

  • Linceul de Turin — Suaire de Turin Négatif du visage du linceul de Turin, 1898 Le suaire de Turin aussi désigné linceul de Turin est un drap en lin ancien qui montre l image d un homme présentant les traces de tortures physiques correspondant à un crucifiement. Il… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Suaire de Turin — 45°04′23″N 07°41′09″E / 45.07306, 7.68583 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Suaire de turin — Négatif du visage du linceul de Turin, 1898 Le suaire de Turin aussi désigné linceul de Turin est un drap en lin ancien qui montre l image d un homme présentant les traces de tortures physiques correspondant à un crucifiement. Il est conservé… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Radiocarbon 14 dating of the Turin Shroud — Radiocarbon dating of the Turin Shroud was the most famous scientific study performed on the artifact. The radiocarbon dating was carried out in 1988 and dated the cloth is to between 1260 and 1390 C.E., compatible with the first recorded mention …   Wikipedia

  • Drap de Lirey — Suaire de Turin Négatif du visage du linceul de Turin, 1898 Le suaire de Turin aussi désigné linceul de Turin est un drap en lin ancien qui montre l image d un homme présentant les traces de tortures physiques correspondant à un crucifiement. Il… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Face du Christ — Suaire de Turin Négatif du visage du linceul de Turin, 1898 Le suaire de Turin aussi désigné linceul de Turin est un drap en lin ancien qui montre l image d un homme présentant les traces de tortures physiques correspondant à un crucifiement. Il… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Barbara Frale — (born on 24 February 1970) is an Italian paleographer at the Vatican Secret Archives. Frale has written books about the Templars and she has a special interest in the history of the Shroud of Turin. In September 2001, she found an authentic copy… …   Wikipedia

  • Dmitri Anatoljewitsch Kusnezow — (russisch Дмитрий Анатольевич Кузнецов, engl. Transkription Kuznetsov oder Kouznetsov; * 1955)[1] ist ein russischer Biologe und Biochemiker. Von 1989 bis 2000 war er als Kreationist und anschließend als Sindonologe öffentlich tätig. Ihm… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Calendar of 1998 — ▪ 1999 January January 1       At the stroke of the new year, the Russian ruble is worth a thousand times less than before as three zeros are removed from its value; about six new rubles equal one U.S. dollar.       Foreign Minister David Levy… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”