Torino: Royal Chapel of the Duomo di Torino (Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist of Torino)

The Cathedral of Torino is the guardian of the Holy Shroud where Jesus was involved in the Sepulcher. This is one of the reasons for many people to organize their visit to Torino is to see it with their eyes. It is also known as “La Sindone” or “Santo Sudario

Do we all know what the Holy Shroud is?

It is a cloth or linen cloth of 4.36 x 1.13 meters in which you can see the face and body of Jesus, as well as the wounds he had after the crucifixion.

Although as Catholics we believe this, its origin has been and continues to be a subject much debated among believers and non-believers, but above all it has been the subject of study by the scientific community. Researchers, historians and theologians have worked in recent years to discover the origin of this holy mantle.

There are two versions. On the one hand, it is believed that the shroud is the cloth that was placed on the body of Jesus Christ at the time of his burial, and that the face that is appreciated is his. In contrast, other people think that the cloth was created in the Middle Ages.

Then several studies have been conducted, one that gave clarity to the subject was made in 1858 when a non-professional photographer, Secondo Pia, checked the negatives of the photos he had taken that could be seen more clearly the image of the body.

In 1998, when the Holy See authorized it, the Sindone was tested on Carbon 14 (scientific studies that clarify the age of objects). The test was carried out in three different laboratories and all agreed that the cloth dates from between 1260 and 1390 (XIII and XIV centuries).

Thanks to the study conducted with this test it can be concluded that the cloth was not made in the Middle Ages. However, the brands that it possesses and its interpretation are left to the free interpretation of each person.

In the year 1958 Pope Pius XII allowed the image to be related to the Catholic religion with the Holy Face of Jesus. However, the Church has never officially stated its acceptance or rejection of the Shroud.

For reasons of conservation, it can only be visible in periods established by the Holy Father. while this does not happen, the only thing that can be seen is the wooden chest that keeps it and a replica of the shroud placed on it. The last time the Pope decided his exhibition was in 2015, we unfortunately did not have the thanks to see it since we arrived months after it had been saved again.

If you are interested in knowing more details about the Holy Shroud, and during your visit to Torino is not exposed, the option is to visit the chest that is in the Cathedral and go to the Museum of the Sindone.

In the same you can see a life size replica of the Shroud, as well as, you can read full information about the “synonological” research carried out since the year 500 until today. Historical, scientific, artistic and proper aspects of Christian devotion are collected.

The same one is in the Real Chapel of San Lorenzo, that previously was inside the Castle.

This place, still visible today, attracted Saint Charles Borromeo at the time of his pilgrimage to the Savoy territories, in order to venerate the Holy Shroud: in the small chapel he celebrated the Mass.

Also in Torino is the Sanctuary of the Consolata with a very old history. Tradition claims that it was the oldest building in Torino, after the remains of Roman buildings. On that same church, more than a thousand years later, the present church was built in Romanesque style

The story tells that the picture with the image of Consolatta had been lost, until a blind man arrived in Torino on a pilgrimage claiming to have received messages from the Virgin in dreams, with precise indications of where to look for the sacred image. After the discovery of the painting, the man recovered his sight and as a result of this miraculous fact, the church was restored, raised to the rank of minor Basilica and the painting placed inside.

The great blesseds and saints of Turin have been linked to the Consolata Shrine for centuries. Among them, St. Joseph Cafasso, and St. John Bosco, who used this image even before the image of Mary Help of Christians in his oratory, inside the Pinardi Chapel.

The visit

We walked out of the hotel, only to explore the city and without wanting to find ourselves in the Royal Chapel of San Lorenzo. The temple is small but it has great importance because it houses the museum where the Sindone is, it was of great help to understand and take a position on the subject, which I anticipate, we do believe that it is the savannah that enveloped the Lord by downloading it. of the Golgota. Do not skimp on time in this museum, it is very interesting and it is worth reading everything researched on the subject. Remember also that if you do not have the luck that the Savannah is exposed during your visit, here you will have the opportunity to see a very real copy.

A little further on, before reaching the Duomo of Torino, we arrive at the Consolata, it is the great Basilica where Don Caffaso once helped Don Bosco, advising him. She is the patron saint of the city and the one Don Bosco brought to her first Chapel.

Finally we arrived at the Duomo di Torino. This was the visit of this day that most mobilized our hearts …

Torino, as I said initially, was the second Holy Land of which we are Salesians, with three main places, and this was undoubtedly one of those places.

The temple is immense, I will not talk about architecture, because the truth has practically not been looked at, we just hurried to see the Savanna. It is located on the left side of the main altar, but without a doubt it is the place where all the Christians we are there want to pray.

When arriving at the place, the legs really break, one only tends to pray, either in silence or with words, with praises, as each one comes out. It is a sensation similar to what we have experienced in some places in the Holy Land.

It’s weird, because you do not see practically anything, but this makes it special in itself, we all kneel and prayed for a long time, so much that they had to ask us to leave since it was the closing time of the temple.

Finally, I understood that scientifically knowing the origin of the Holy Shroud would not change my opinion on the subject. Is it a matter of faith

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