Shroud Of Turin | History, Description, & Authenticity - Britannica

Analyses of authenticity

Scholarly analyses—attempting to use scientific methods to prove or disprove its authenticity—have been applied to the shroud since the late 19th century. In 1898 it was noticed that the sepia-tone images on the shroud seem to have the character of photographic negatives rather than positives. Beginning in the 1970s, tests were made to determine whether the images were the result of paints (or other pigments), scorches, or other agents; none of the tests proved conclusive.

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In 1988 the Vatican provided three laboratories in different countries with postage-stamp-sized pieces of the shroud’s linen cloth. Having subjected these samples to carbon-14 dating, all three laboratories concluded that the cloth of the shroud had been made sometime between 1260 and 1390, thus indicating that it was inauthentic. However, some scientists raised doubts about the researchers’ methodology. Upon receiving the results of the tests, the Vatican encouraged scientists to conduct further investigations of the shroud’s authenticity and recommended that Christians continue to venerate the shroud as an inspiring image of Christ. Nonetheless, the Holy See has not made any official pronouncements concerning the shroud’s authenticity.

Also called: Holy Shroud (Show more) Italian: Santa Sindone (Show more) See all related content

In 2022 researchers in Italy published the results of a study in which they used the technique of wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) to analyze a small piece of the shroud. The study concluded that the structural degradations of the shroud’s linen were “fully compatible” with those of another linen sample that has been dated, according to historical records, to 55–74 ce. Environmental carbon contamination was suggested as the source of the discrepancy between those findings and the results of the carbon dating in the 1980s. The 2022 study’s results bolstered the hypothesis that the Shroud of Turin truly is from the time of Christ, although the researchers made no conclusion regarding the shroud’s authenticity as a relic and also noted that further testing is needed to confirm their conclusions.