Forensic scientists have dealt a fresh blow to the authenticity of the Turin Shroud, concluding that bloodstains on the cloth could only have been produced by a person standing upright, not lying supine as a crucified corpse would be. The findings, published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences, add to centuries of evidence that the shroud is a medieval forgery.
Dr Matteo Borrini of Liverpool John Moores University and Luigi Garlaschelli of the University of Pavia used a living volunteer and real and synthetic blood to simulate how the apparent blood spatters might have been formed. They found that two rivulets on the left hand of the figure could only have been created by someone upright with arms at a 45-degree angle, while forearm stains required arms held almost vertically above the head—inconsistent with a body wrapped in the shroud.
The researchers also noted that the supposed lance wound on the chest appeared realistic for a standing position, but the corresponding back stain was “totally unrealistic” for a supine corpse. Dr Borrini, a Catholic, said the shroud was not necessary for his faith.
The shroud’s documented history begins in 1355, when it was displayed by French knight Geoffrey de Charny. In 1390, Catholic Bishop Pierre d’Arcis wrote to Pope Clement VII denouncing it as “a clever sleight of hand” by someone “falsely declaring this was the actual shroud … to attract the multitude so that money might cunningly be wrung from them.” His predecessor, Henry of Poitiers, had allegedly obtained a confession from the artist who created it.
Carbon dating in 1988 placed the shroud’s origin in the medieval period, not the Biblical era. Despite repeated debunking, some continue to believe the cloth is Jesus’ burial shroud. It is now housed in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin.
