May 26, 2017 – Sindonology (Shroud of Turin)

The rediscovered wood chest that was used to store a smaller chest that contained the Shroud of Besançon. This wood chest is mainly made of sandalwood, the second most expensive wood in the world and used by the cosmetic industry for its fragrance oil (see Santal 33 perfume). Dimensions: 21.8 cm x 48.3 cm x 21.4 cm.

The chest used to store a smaller chest that contained the Shroud of Besançon was recently rediscovered. This chest was in the cathedral of St John when the Shroud of Besançon was still shown publicly, at least twice a year, to the crowd outside the cathedral. That Shroud was destroyed during the French Revolution along the smaller chest that contained it. The Shroud of Besançon was clearly a painted copy of the Shroud of Turin with only the frontal part.

The identification of this coffer is based on an ancien description of the coffer that was kept in the chapel dedicated to the Shroud of Besançon, in particular the presence of the three locks. This chest would date from around 1523 when it was first recorded that a chest was used to secure the Shroud of Besançon. An exhibition about the Shroud of Besançon organized in September 2016 at the St John's cathedral had as its center piece the rediscovered chest.