Holy Shroud

A towering figure in the art world unravels the mystery of the world’s most controversial relic. The history of the Christian church is strewn with holy relics and artifacts, none more controversial than the Shroud of Turin, the supposed burial cloth of Christ. In The Holy Shroud Gary Vikan shows that the shroud is not the burial cloth of Jesus, but rather a photograph-like body print of a medieval Frenchman created by a brilliant artist serving the royal court in the time of the Black Death. It was gifted by King John II to his friend Geoffroi de Charny, the most renowned knight of the Middle Ages, who shortly thereafter died at the disastrous Battle of Poitiers while saving the King’s life. Though intended as nothing more than an innocuous devotional image for Geoffroi’s newly-built church in the French hamlet of Lirey, it was soon misrepresented. Miracles were faked, money was made.Combining copious research and decades of art world experience with an accessible, wry voice, Gary Vikan shows how one of the greatest hoaxes in the history of Christian relics came into being.

The theft of the Holy Shroud from the Royal Chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, baffled the Italian police. Their investigation failed to develop any useful information or leads in spite of the assistance of the United States Defense Academy for Credibility Assessment which conducted polygraph tests on all of the suspects in the case. The Vatican, in a desperate attempt to recover the Holy Shroud, considered the Holy Grail of Christendom, summoned Alex Petrov, a leading member of the Secret Society of Jesuits and personal friend of the Cardinal General to assist the Vatican and the Italian police in its recovery. Alex Petrov's position as the Director of Clandestine Operations of the Central Intelligence Agency, placed him in the unique position of having unparalleled resources at his disposal but only one man came to mind that was capable of solving the mystery and that was his old friend and colleague, James Markham, recognized internationally as a polygraph expert, and by the Vatican as the biblical Truthseeker. But first he had to locate Markham and he assigned that task to one of his female agents, Teri Flanigan, who found Markham in a Paris bistro drinking away his grief for the loss of his deceased wife. Sober and on the CIA payroll, Markham and Flanigan followed the trail of suspects in five countries and three continents, resulting in the recovery of the miraculous Holy Shroud, but at the expense of a courageous disciple whose life was surrendered to liberate it.

One of History’s Most Sacred Treasures. . . An Age-Old Secret Conspiracy. . . Now the Truth Is Revealed. . . . Marco Valoni, chief of Italy’s Art Crimes Department, is convinced that a fire in the Cathedral of Turin that leaves a strangely mutilated, unidentifiable body on the scene was no accident. It is only the last in a long line of mishaps, going back over a hundred years, that have occurred in the church – which happens to be home to what millions of the faithful believe is that authentic burial shroud of Jesus Christ. Valoni and his crack team of specialists embark on an investigation that soon leads them into dangerous territory, territory controlled by some of the most powerful men in the world. Not only do they discover evidence of a secret Christian sect that traces its priests to the very disciples of Jesus himself, but also that the Knights Templar – supposedly destroyed forever when Philip the Fair of France watched their last Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, burn at the stake in 1314 – may not have disappeared at all, and may indeed be very much alive and active in the 21st century. Julia Navarro skillfully weaves the Italians’ thrilling present-day investigation with the spine-tingling history of the Holy Shroud itself, and with a chilling tale of ancient rivals, equally devoted to the relic, and equally willing to sacrifice anything – perhaps even their immortal souls–to possess it. From communities of the Middle East founded by Jesus himself, to medieval Byzantium, to the highest councils of the Vatican and the boardrooms that run the world today, The Brotherhood of the Holy Shroud is a provocative page-turner of the highest order – one that will challenge you to believe. "The screams of the tortured men echoed within the thick walls of the dungeons. How many days had passed since they were arrested? The Templars had lost count. . . . A man, his face concealed by a hood, watched the suffering of the knights from the shadows, these knights who had once wielded their swords and risked their very lives to defend the Cross. Reveling in their torment, sick with avarice and cruelty, Philippe signaled the torturers to go on…. Broken and bloodied, Jacques de Molay could hardly see, but he sensed who it was beneath the hood. A smile came to the Grand Master’s lips when the king demanded that he confess where he had hidden the holy shroud of Jesus. At last Philippe saw that it was futile to continue. De Molay would not yield…. Fire began to burn the Templars’ ravaged flesh. Jacques de Molay’s eyes remained fixed on Philippe, and before him and the people of Paris the Grand Master proclaimed his innocence and called down divine justice on the king of France and Pope Clement, summoning them to stand with him before the judgment of God within the year. A shiver ran down Philippe’s spine as de Molay’s words rang out. No, God could not be on the side of these Templars, these heretics. He, Philippe, king of France, was obeying the laws of the Church. But was he obeying the laws of God?" —From The Brotherhood of the Holy Shroud

Shrouds have long held a special place among the sacred relics of Christendom. In the Middle Ages, shrouds, like holy relics, were the prize possessions of churches and cities. Cloaked in mystery, these artifacts have long been objects of reverence and awe, as well as sources of debates, quarrels, thefts, and excommunications. Shrouds--so some claim--provide visible testimony to faith. One in particular has drawn the interest of scholars, clergy, and the public alike: the Shroud of Turin. In The Shroud of Turin, Andrea Nicolotti chronicles the history of this famous cloth, including its circuitous journey from the French village of Lirey to its home in the Italian city of Turin, as well as the fantastical claims surrounding its origin and modern scientific efforts to prove or disprove its authenticity. Full of intrigue and mystery, The Shroud of Turin dismantles hypotheses that cannot survive the rigors of historical analysis. Nicolotti directly addresses the thorny problem of the authenticity of the relic and the difficult relationship between history, faith, and science.

The famed linen cloth preserved in Turin Cathedral has provoked pious devotion, scientific scrutiny, and morbid curiosity. Imprinted with an image many faithful have traditionally believed to be that of the crucified Christ "painted in his own blood," the Shroud remains an object of intense debate and notoriety yet today. In this amply illustrated volume, John Beldon Scott traces the history of the unique relic, focusing especially on the black-marble and gilt-bronze structure Guarino Guarini designed to house and exhibit it. A key Baroque monument, the chapel comprises many unusual architectural features, which Scott identifies and explains, particulary how the chapel's unprecedented geometry and bizarre imagery convey to the viewer the supernatural powers of the object enshrined there. Drawing on early plans and documents, he demonstrates how the architect's design mirrors the Shroud's strange history as well as political aspirations of its owners, the Dukes of Savoy. Exhibiting it ritually, the Savoy prized their relic with its godly vestige as a means to link their dynasty with divine purposes. Guarini, too, promoted this end by fashioning an illusionary world and sacred space that positioned the duke visually so that he appeared close to the Shroud during its ceremonial display. Finally, Scott describes how the additional need for an outdoor stage for the public showing of the relic to the thousands who came to Turin to see it also helped shape the urban plan of the city and its transformation into the Savoyard capital. Exploring the mystique of this enigmatic relic and investigating its architectural and urban history for the first time, Architecture for the Shroud will appeal to anyone curious about the textile, its display, and the architectural settings designed to enhance its veneration and boost the political agenda of the ruling family.

Over the years, many books have appeared about the Shroud of Turin, the possible burial cloth of Christ. This book explores the Shroud's photographic breakthrough, showing in great detail the amazing "negative image" and offering scientific evidence for the potential legitimacy of the Shroud as being a relic from Christ.

The Shroud at the Court analyses the ties between the Shroud and the Savoy court from the fifteenth to twentieth centuries, when rituals, ceremonies, and images made the relic an essential source of legitimacy and propaganda for the Savoy dynasty.

A historical, scientific and spiritual guide to the Shroud of Turin that explores the question of the authenticity of the Shroud as a relic of Jesus. Illustrated with 195 color and black and white photos, some rare and some never before published.