Replica of Shroud of Turin part of exhibit at new Manila museum

REVERED ARTIFACT Cardinal Jose Advincula blesses a replica of the Shroud of Turin at the newly opened Holy Face of Jesus (HFJ) Museum in Quiapo, Manila, on Tuesday. The replica has been in the collection of the HFJ congregation since 2019. —CBCP NEWS PHOTO

A replica of the famous Shroud of Turin, an object of veneration for Catholics who believe that it bears the image of Jesus Christ as he lay entombed before his resurrection, has been put on display at a newly established museum in Quiapo, Manila.

Cardinal Jose Advincula, the Manila archbishop, blessed the replica also during the inauguration on Tuesday of the Holy Face of Jesus Museum, located inside the convent of the Sisters of the Holy Face of Jesus (HFJ) congregation on Hidalgo Street.

The museum was still undergoing finishing touches as of Wednesday. Its opening to the public is tentatively set next week.

TACTILE YET SPIRITUAL Filipinos enter the Lenten season seeking a touch of the divine, like at the newly inaugurated museum in Quiapo, Manila, that exhibits a replica of the famous Shroud of Turin. —PHOTOS BY GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

The 4.4-meter-long image of the shroud was printed on cotton using laser technology by American photographer Barrie Schwortz, who served as the official photographer for the Shroud of Turin Research Project in 1978, according to the news agency of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

“The photographer provided us certification that it’s an authentic replica and we are permitted to display it publicly,” said the HFJ superior, Mother Annunciata Mendoza.

The congregation received the replica in 2019, but it was only put on display on Tuesday, the Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus.

The original shroud is preserved at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, in northern Italy.

Rev. Fr. RJ Garcia, administers ash to the forehead of catholic faithful at the Sagrada Familia Church in Araneta City, Cubao, Quezon City on Ash Wednesday.

Burial garment

In addition to the replica, the museum features memorabilia of the congregation’s founder, the late Mother Mary Therese Vicente.

The Shroud of Turin is a rectangular linen cloth which bears a faint image of the front and back of a naked man who had suffered wounds associated with those of crucifixion, giving rise to the centuries-old belief that it was the burial garment of Jesus Christ.

The Vatican has not officially declared the Shroud of Turin as authentic, but encourages scientific study and supports the move of Christians to venerate it as an image of Jesus Christ.

The original shroud is rarely displayed in public to preserve it from damage or contamination. It was last exhibited in 2015 at the Turin Cathedral during a visit by Pope Francis.