Whenever you come to Oviedo, in North Spain,
you will be delighted by its classical culture, gastronomy and beauty, and also
by the very important pre-romanesque complex that was built here as capital
stop for the pilgrims on their Way to Saint James, a most important pilgrimage
for Catholics during centuries in Europe.
And you will also be visiting the Cathedral of the Holy Saviour, in which the most important relic is the HOLY SRHOUD OF OVIEDO: a piece of cloth measuring approximately 84 x 53 cm. There is no image on this cloth. Only stains are visible to the naked eye, although more is visible under the microscope. The remarkable thing about this cloth is that both tradition and scientific studies claim that the cloth was used to cover and clean the face of Jesus after the crucifixion.
And you will also be visiting the Cathedral of the Holy Saviour, in which the most important relic is the HOLY SRHOUD OF OVIEDO: a piece of cloth measuring approximately 84 x 53 cm. There is no image on this cloth. Only stains are visible to the naked eye, although more is visible under the microscope. The remarkable thing about this cloth is that both tradition and scientific studies claim that the cloth was used to cover and clean the face of Jesus after the crucifixion.
Such a cloth is known to have existed from the
gospel of John, chapter 20, verses 6 and 7. "Simon Peter, following him,
also came up, went into the tomb, saw the linen cloth lying on the ground, and
also the cloth that had been over his head…" John clearly differentiates
between this smaller face cloth, the sudarium, and the larger linen that had
wrapped the body.
According to this history, the sudarium was in
Palestine until shortly before the year 614, when Jerusalem was conquered by the
king of Persia. It was taken first to Alexandria, then across the north of
Africa. The sudarium entered Spain at Cartagena to Sevilla, and some years
later Saint Isidore took it to
Toledo. It stayed in Toledo until the year 718. It was then taken further north
to avoid destruction at the hands of the Muslims, who conquered the majority of
the Iberian peninsula at the beginning of the eighth century. In Oviedo King
Alfonso II had a special chapel built for the chest, called the "Cámara
Santa", (Holy Chamber) later incorporated into the cathedral.
ANALYSIS:
The stains on the sudarium show that when the
cloth was placed on the dead man's face, it was folded over, although not in
the middle. Counting both sides of the cloth, there is therefore a fourfold
stain in a logical order of decreasing intensity.
From the composition of the main stains, it is evident that the man whose face the sudarium covered died in an upright position. The stains consist of one part blood and six parts fluid from a pleural oedema. This liquid collects in the lungs when a crucified person dies of asphyxiation, and if the body subsequently suffers jolting movements, can come out through the nostrils. These are in fact the main stains visible on the sudarium.
From the composition of the main stains, it is evident that the man whose face the sudarium covered died in an upright position. The stains consist of one part blood and six parts fluid from a pleural oedema. This liquid collects in the lungs when a crucified person dies of asphyxiation, and if the body subsequently suffers jolting movements, can come out through the nostrils. These are in fact the main stains visible on the sudarium.
The experiments with the model head and the
study of the stains also show that when the man died his head was tilted
seventy degrees forward and twenty degrees to the right. This position further
suggests that the man whose face the sudarium covered died crucified.
The medical studies are not the only ones that
have been carried out on the sudarium. Dr. Max Frei analysed pollen samples
taken from the cloth, and found species typical of Oviedo, Toledo, North Africa
and Jerusalem. This confirms the historical route described earlier. There was
nothing relating the cloth to Constantinople, France, Italy or any other
country in Europe.
If you wish, you can watch this Spanish multimedia presentation about :
If you wish, you can watch this Spanish multimedia presentation about :
An international congress was held in Oviedo in
1994, where various papers were presented about the sudarium. Dr. Frei's work
with pollen was confirmed, and enlarged on. Residues of what is most probably
myrrh and aloe have also been discovered, mentioned directly in the gospel of
john, 19:39-40, "Nicodemus came as well...and he brought a mixture of
myrrh and aloes...They took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with
the spices, following the Jewish burial custom."
The stains were also studied from the point of
view of anthropology. The conclusion was that the face that had been in contact
with the sudarium had typically Jewish features, a prominent nose and
pronounced cheekbones.
All the studies carried out so far point in one
direction, with nothing to suggest the contrary the sudarium was used to cover
the head of the dead body of Jesus of Nazareth from when he was taken down from
the cross until he was buried.
THE SHROUD OF TURIN
The sudarium alone has revealed sufficient
information to suggest that it was in contact with the face of Jesus after the
crucifixion. However, the really fascinating evidence comes to light when this
cloth is compared to the Shroud of Turin.
The studies on the sudarium and the comparison
of this cloth with the Shroud are just one of the many branches of science
which point to both having covered the dead body of Jesus. The history of the
Oviedo cloth is well documented, and the conclusions of this for the dating of
the Shroud need no further comment.
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