Dal «Mandilion» di Edessa alla Sindone : Alcune note sulle testimonianze antiche

The author analyzes old references to an image of Jesus Christ that, according to legend, was not painted by human hand, but had been sent to King Abgar V. It is certain to have been in Edessa by the 5th Century, but some texts place it there even earlier. The image remained there until 944, when it was solemnly moved to Constantinople. From then on we can deduce that the relic corresponded to a shroud folded in such a way that only the image of the face of Christ was visible. The first mention of the Holy Shroud dates from the 12th Century, in reference to a Byzantine relic; in 1204 the Crusaders sacked Constantinople and stole the relic. The author analyzes the recorded itinerary of the relic until its arrival at Turin, and proposes that the Holy Shroud of Turin and the relic of Edessa are one and the same.