Traces that are probably related to Byzantine coins have been found on the Holy Shroud, which is believed to the burial shroud in which Jesus Christ was wrapped after crucifixion
This discovery was made by US researchers in a study published in the Journal of Cultural Heritage magazine and presented at the 2019 International Conference on the Shroud of Turin in Canada. It is argued that, long before the year 1000, Byzantine gold coins with the icon of Christ had been wrapped with the Holy Shroud.
The study, led by Giulio Fanti and Claudio Furlan, using an environmental scanning electron microscope and an X-ray spectrometer, detected electron traces, an alloy of gold and silver with traces of copper. At the same time, the study examined the percentage of these elements in the Byzantine coins that were in circulation between the 11th and 12th centuries.
The study found that there was a full correlation between the traces of the elements found in the Holy Shroud and the Byzantine coins. According to Giulio Fanti, this finding contradicts the radiocarbon-dating tests conducted in 1988, which suggested that the Holy Shroud dated from the 14th century.
There are few historical records for the Holy Shroud. There are texts dating back to the 5th and 6th centuries saying that there was a burial shroud in Edessa, Asia Minor upon which a miraculous image of the face of Jesus had been imprinted. During the 10th century the “Mandylion”, as it was then known, was transferred to Constantinople. After the siege and sack of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204, it is believed that the burial cloth was transported to Greece, where de Charny family was staying. In the first half of the 15th century, the knight brought the Holy Shroud to Lirey. Margaret de Charny deeded the Shroud to the House of Savoy in 1453. Since 1983 it is owned by the Holy See.
Source: ANA-MPA
