Some 2 million visitors from all over the world are expected to visit Turin for the 10 th Ostentation of the Holy Shroud, believed to have covered the body of Jesus Christ after the crucifixion. The shroud, a 442 cm long linen cloth, is one of the most famous and controversial relinquaries in the Christian world.
Numerous scientific tests have as yet failed to definitely date the shroud and its origins are still wrapped in mystery, though new theories continue to spring up regularly. One of the more fanciful notions, put forward by writer Vittoria Haziel, is that the shroud was faked on commission for an Ottoman sultan by Leonardo da Vinci, using himself as a model for the figure of Christ.
The Holy Shroud will be on view in the Duomo of Turin until the 23 rd May, reservations obligatory.
