 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2002 Restoration of the Shroud
Controversial Restoration of the Shroud of Turin
Barrie Schwortz writes: June 20 - July 22, 2002: A small group of textile experts, headed by Mechtild Fleury-Lemberg of Switzerland, perform a dramatic and radical restoration" of the Shroud under the auspices of the Archbishop of Turin and his advisors at the Turin Center for Shroud Studies, and with the full permission of the Vatican. They remove the thirty patches sewn into the cloth by Poor Clare Nuns in 1534 to repair burn holes from the 1532 fire. They remove the backing cloth (frequently referred to as the "Holland Cloth") that was sewn onto the back of the Shroud in 1534 to strengthen the fire damaged relic. They photograph the hidden back side of the cloth and then re-attach a new, whiter linen backing cloth. They use lead weights suspended from the edges of the Shroud to "flatten" many of the creases in the cloth and apply steam to certain areas to help accomplish this. They handle the cloth without gloves or special clothing. They scrape away the charred edges of all the burned areas and collect the scrapings into small containers. During a continuous period of thirty-two days, they expose the cloth to significant amounts of potentially damaging light and the polluted air of Turin. They perform this restoration in secret, without consulting any of the world's Shroud experts (including most of their own advisors) that could have contributed important scientific guidance to ensure that no valuable scientific or historical data was lost or damaged during the restoration. They set off a firestorm of controversy, criticism, debate and recrimination that ultimately engulfs, polarizes and divides the Shroud research community. For more information on how this important event unfolded, see the 2002 Website News page. You will also want to read the Comments On The Restoration page, where fourteen noted Shroud experts express their own opinions of the restoration. "
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
