Turin Shroud copy on display in county

A full-size copy of the world-famous Turin Shroud, one of only six in the world, is coming to Shropshire next week.

The copy of what is said to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ is an image printed on cotton created by Barrie Shwortz, who was the official photographer for the Shroud Research Project in 1978. It will be exhibited in St Chad's Church in Shrewsbury from 5pm on Wednesday until noon on March 8.

The copy will be displayed together with various artefacts from Biblical times, and a series of modern paintings by Paul Hill depicting the Stations of the Cross.

The exhibition has been organised by the Friends of St Chad's Shrewsbury to raise funds for repairs to the tower.

The event will open with a lecture on the shroud by Pam Moon, lay minister at St Peter's Anglican Church, Little Aston, Birmingham, where her husband is vicar.

Mrs Moon has had a lifelong fascination with the Shroud of Turin and owns the copy which is to be exhibited.

She said: "I was deeply moved when I first saw the full-length images.

Lecture

"It is possible to get an idea of the shroud from television pictures, books, magazines and newspapers articles, but seeing it in its entirety is profoundly challenging."

The lecture will take place at 7.30pm on March 3 at the church. Tickets are available on the door and will cost £5. Subsequent entry to the exhibition will be free.

There remains great debate about the authenticity of the shroud.

Carbon dating of a tiny piece removed some years ago suggested it was medieval, but more recently those fibres have been shown to have come from an area repaired after earlier damage.

Mrs Moon added: "This lecture and exhibition will not offer unequivocal answers, but it will leave you much better informed about the mystery of the shroud's authenticity.

"It will also offer a timely reminder, during Lent, of aspects of life under Roman rule two thousand years ago."

By Russell Roberts