Sudarium of Oviedo
Encyclopedia
The Sudarium of Oviedo, or Shroud of Oviedo, is a bloodstained cloth, measuring c. 84 x 53 cm, kept in the Cámara Santa
of the Cathedral of San Salvador
, Oviedo
, Spain
. The Sudarium (Latin
for sweat cloth) is claimed to be the cloth wrapped around the head of Jesus Christ after he died, as mentioned in the Gospel of John
(20:6-7). The small chapel housing it was built specifically for the cloth by King Alfonso II of Asturias
in AD 840; the Arca Santa
is an elaborate reliquary
chest with a Romanesque
metal frontal for the storage of the Sudarium and other relics. The Sudarium is displayed to the public three times a year: Good Friday
, the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross on 14 September, and its octave
on 21 September.
is severely soiled and crumpled, with dark flecks that are symmetrically arranged but form no image, unlike the markings on the Shroud of Turin
. It is not mentioned in accounts of the actual burial of Christ, but is mentioned as having been present in the empty tomb later (John 20:7
).
According to believers, the Sudarium and the Shroud took different routes. There is no reference of the Sudarium for the first several hundred years after the Crucifixion of Jesus
, until its mention in 570 in an account by Antoninus of Piacenza
, who writes that the Sudarium is being cared for in a cave near the monastery of Saint Mark, in the vicinity of Jerusalem.
The Sudarium was apparently taken from Palestine
in 614
, after the invasion of the Byzantine provinces by the Sassanide Persian King Chosroes II, was carried through northern Africa
in 616
and arrived in Spain
shortly thereafter.
The cloth was at one point dated to the 7th century by the radio carbon method. However, it has been argued that the determination was quite unreliable and other indications must be considered as well.
. Though the Shroud had been carbon-dated (1988) to the 14th century, subsequent studies in 2005 suggest that the segment of the cloth used in the 1988 carbon dating was from a patch repaired during the Middle Ages. Many believe that both cloths covered the same man. In 1998, blood tests done on both the Sudarium and the Shroud confirmed that the blood stains on both cloths were of the same type: AB, a common blood type
among Middle Eastern people but fairly rare among medieval Europeans. However, aged blood will almost always turn up as AB. This is because AB has no antibodies, and the aging of blood causes the antibodies to disappear. The specifics aren't all that clear, as to how long this process takes. Summa summarum: That the blood is AB need not indicate that it is of Middle Eastern origin, but it could.
Pollen residues on both the Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium provide strong evidence that both were at one point in the Palestine area.
The most important physical evidence of a connection between the two relics is that the material of the cloth is identical, although there are differences in the manner of weaving.
Cámara Santa, Oviedo
The Holy chamber of Oviedo is a Roman Catholic pre-Romanesque church in Oviedo, Spain, built next to pre-romanesque Tower of San Miguel of the city's cathedral...
of the Cathedral of San Salvador
Cathedral of San Salvador (Oviedo)
The Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Saviour is a Roman Catholic cathedral and minor basilica in the centre of Oviedo, in the Asturias region of northern Spain....
, Oviedo
Oviedo
Oviedo is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city....
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The Sudarium (Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for sweat cloth) is claimed to be the cloth wrapped around the head of Jesus Christ after he died, as mentioned in the Gospel of John
Gospel of John
The Gospel According to John , commonly referred to as the Gospel of John or simply John, and often referred to in New Testament scholarship as the Fourth Gospel, is an account of the public ministry of Jesus...
(20:6-7). The small chapel housing it was built specifically for the cloth by King Alfonso II of Asturias
Alfonso II of Asturias
Alfonso II , called the Chaste, was the king of Asturias from 791 to his death, the son of Fruela I and the Basque Munia.He was born in Oviedo in 759 or 760. He was put under the guardianship of his aunt Adosinda after his father's death, but one tradition relates his being put in the monastery of...
in AD 840; the Arca Santa
Arca Santa
The Arca Santa is an oak reliquary covered with silver-gilt decorated in the Romanesque style. It is kept in the Cámara Santa of the Cathedral of San Salvador in Oviedo...
is an elaborate reliquary
Reliquary
A reliquary is a container for relics. These may be the physical remains of saints, such as bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or other religious figures...
chest with a Romanesque
Romanesque art
Romanesque art refers to the art of Western Europe from approximately 1000 AD to the rise of the Gothic style in the 13th century, or later, depending on region. The preceding period is increasingly known as the Pre-Romanesque...
metal frontal for the storage of the Sudarium and other relics. The Sudarium is displayed to the public three times a year: Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
, the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross on 14 September, and its octave
Octave (liturgical)
"Octave" has two senses in Christian liturgical usage. In the first sense, it is the eighth day after a feast, reckoning inclusively, and so always falls on the same day of the week as the feast itself. The word is derived from Latin octava , with dies understood...
on 21 September.
Background and history
The SudariumSudarium
Sudarium is a Latin word, literally meaning 'sweat cloth', used for wiping the face clean. Small cloths of various sorts, for which sudarium is a general term, played a considerable role in Ancient Roman formal manners and court ceremonial, and many such uses transferred to Christian liturgical...
is severely soiled and crumpled, with dark flecks that are symmetrically arranged but form no image, unlike the markings on the Shroud of Turin
Shroud of Turin
The Shroud of Turin or Turin Shroud is a linen cloth bearing the image of a man who appears to have suffered physical trauma in a manner consistent with crucifixion. It is kept in the royal chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, northern Italy. The image on the shroud is...
. It is not mentioned in accounts of the actual burial of Christ, but is mentioned as having been present in the empty tomb later (John 20:7
John 20:7
John 20:7 is the seventh verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the Bible. In this verse, Peter is standing in Jesus's empty tomb. The Beloved Disciple and perhaps Mary Magdalene are outside...
).
According to believers, the Sudarium and the Shroud took different routes. There is no reference of the Sudarium for the first several hundred years after the Crucifixion of Jesus
Crucifixion of Jesus
The crucifixion of Jesus and his ensuing death is an event that occurred during the 1st century AD. Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally executed on a cross...
, until its mention in 570 in an account by Antoninus of Piacenza
Antoninus of Piacenza
The sixth-century pilgrim Antoninus of Piacenza, or the Anonymous Pilgrim of Piacenza, who described the holy places of Jerusalem in the 570s is confused often with Saint Antoninus of Piacenza, who is venerated as a saint and martyr in the Roman Catholic Church, with a feast day of 13 November in...
, who writes that the Sudarium is being cared for in a cave near the monastery of Saint Mark, in the vicinity of Jerusalem.
The Sudarium was apparently taken from Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
in 614
614
Year 614 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 614 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* The Palace of Diocletian is damaged by the...
, after the invasion of the Byzantine provinces by the Sassanide Persian King Chosroes II, was carried through northern Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
in 616
616
Year 616 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 616 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Eadbald succeeds Ethelbert as king of Kent.*...
and arrived in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
shortly thereafter.
The cloth was at one point dated to the 7th century by the radio carbon method. However, it has been argued that the determination was quite unreliable and other indications must be considered as well.
The Sudarium and the Shroud
Many of the stains on the Sudarium match those on the head portion of the Shroud of TurinShroud of Turin
The Shroud of Turin or Turin Shroud is a linen cloth bearing the image of a man who appears to have suffered physical trauma in a manner consistent with crucifixion. It is kept in the royal chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, northern Italy. The image on the shroud is...
. Though the Shroud had been carbon-dated (1988) to the 14th century, subsequent studies in 2005 suggest that the segment of the cloth used in the 1988 carbon dating was from a patch repaired during the Middle Ages. Many believe that both cloths covered the same man. In 1998, blood tests done on both the Sudarium and the Shroud confirmed that the blood stains on both cloths were of the same type: AB, a common blood type
Blood type
A blood type is a classification of blood based on the presence or absence of inherited antigenic substances on the surface of red blood cells . These antigens may be proteins, carbohydrates, glycoproteins, or glycolipids, depending on the blood group system...
among Middle Eastern people but fairly rare among medieval Europeans. However, aged blood will almost always turn up as AB. This is because AB has no antibodies, and the aging of blood causes the antibodies to disappear. The specifics aren't all that clear, as to how long this process takes. Summa summarum: That the blood is AB need not indicate that it is of Middle Eastern origin, but it could.
Pollen residues on both the Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium provide strong evidence that both were at one point in the Palestine area.
The most important physical evidence of a connection between the two relics is that the material of the cloth is identical, although there are differences in the manner of weaving.
See also
- Relics associated with Jesus
- Empty tombEmpty tombEmpty tomb most often refers to the tomb of Jesus which was found to be empty by the women who were present at Jesus’ crucifixion. They had come to his tomb to anoint his body with spices...
- Shroud of TurinShroud of TurinThe Shroud of Turin or Turin Shroud is a linen cloth bearing the image of a man who appears to have suffered physical trauma in a manner consistent with crucifixion. It is kept in the royal chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, northern Italy. The image on the shroud is...
- Blood of ChristBlood of ChristThe Blood of Christ in Christian theology refers to the physical blood actually shed by Jesus Christ on the Cross, and the salvation which Christianity teaches was accomplished thereby; and the sacramental blood present in the Eucharist, which is considered by Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and...
External links
- Viewing information
- The Sudarium of Oviedo: Its History and Relationship to the Shroud of Turin
- The Sudarium of Oviedo and what it Suggests about the Shroud of Turin
- The Sudarium of Oviedo at Skeptical Spectacle
- Decoding the PastDecoding the PastDecoding the Past is a History Channel paranormal television series that "decodes" the past by looking for unusual, and mysterious things written about throughout history that may give clues as to what will happen in the future.-Episodes:...
: Relics of the Passion, 2005 History Channel video documentary - Comparative Study of the Sudarium of Oviedo and the Shroud of Turin, 1998, paper presented at the "III Congresso Internazionale di Studi Sulla Sindone" in Turin.*