Church pals bring the ‘face of Jesus’ to Bridgnorth for Shroud of Turin exhibition

An exhibition featuring a full-size replica of the Shroud of Turin is coming to Bridgnorth this month, along with a wealth of display panels exploring one of the Christian world’s most intriguing relics.

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The exhibition at St Leonard’s Church, which runs from Monday. October 26 to Thursday, November 12, has been spearheaded by two local churchgoers, Mike Shaw who attends Bridgnorth Baptist Church and Alan Muscat who goes to St John’s Catholic Church.

Their aim is to invite people to look, listen and reflect on a subject that has fascinated believers and sceptics for generations.

The original Turin Shroud, which is kept the royal chapel of the Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista in Turin, Italy, is one of the most studied and debated religious artifacts in the world, with some saying it features the face of Jesus Christ, while others arguing it is a Medieval hoax.

Interest in the Shroud died down after 1988 carbon dating results, placed the Shroud as created around the 13th Century.

But Mike, a former solicitor now in his early 80s, says his enthusiasm for the Shroud has grown stronger after recent research has emerged, which he says cast fresh doubt on the previous medieval dating of the shroud.

The fresh research suggests that the linen cloth may have spent significant time in the Middle East, with traces of DNA and microorganisms pointing toward a complex journey across regions, cultures and centuries.

Mike said the possibility that the cloth may bear the actual image of Jesus Christ is what excites him.

“It is this possibility that continues to give the Shroud such power. For believers, it can be a source of faith and reflection,” he said. “For those still exploring the Christian faith, it may offer a striking and unexpected point of entry. And for others, it remains a deeply curious historical artefact that refuses to be easily explained.

“At the heart of the fascination is the image itself. The Shroud appears to bear the image of a man who has suffered injuries consistent with crucifixion, but what makes it even more extraordinary is the fact that the image is essentially a photographic negative, the first ever ‘selfie’. That, in itself, is part of the mystery.”

He said that at the exhibition, which runs daily from 11am to 4pm, with free admission, visitors will be shown how to use their mobile phones in negative mode to view the Shroud image as a positive photograph.

“This simple technique helps reveal the image more clearly,” he said. “It is a small but memorable detail that is likely to stay with visitors long after they leave the church,” he said. “Science has not found an answer to how the image came to be there. No known physical or chemical process has been able to explain the transfer of such an image onto the linen. Despite decades of study, the origin of the image remains a mystery.”

Mike has been the driving force behind bringing the exhibition to Bridgnorth, but has turned to close friend Alan Muscat — a graphic and web design professional — to bring the exhibition to the town.

Together, the two men have put their energy into bringing an exhibition that they say is “accessible, engaging and suitable for visitors of all backgrounds”.

“The story of the Shroud is not just about history or archaeology, but about something far more arresting: the possibility that the cloth may bear the image of Jesus himself,” the pair said.

Pam Moon, a prominent researcher, author and educator associated with the British Society for the Turin Shroud, will open the exhibition and deliver a talk covering the history, science and most recent developments surrounding the Shroud, at 7pm on Sunday, October 25.

The touring exhibition includes a full-sized replica of the Shroud and a range of information panels explaining its history, significance and the questions surrounding the world’s most examined Christian relic.

For further information and to book a place for the pre-opening talk, visit www.turinshroudbridgnorth.co.uk