The Cathedral of Turin is dedicated to St. John the Baptist, the patron saint of the city. Built between 1491 and 1498 at the behest of Cardinal della Rovere, the Renaissance-style cathedral has a white marble façade with three portals decorated with reliefs and a red brick bell tower with a crowning of the Juvarra. The basilican interior has a Latin cross with three naves with Gothic elements.
In the seventeenth century the Cathedral was renovated in order to add the chapel of the Holy Shroud, a masterpiece of Baroque architecture by Guarino Guarini.
The chapel destined to keep the shroud in which the body of Jesus was wrapped in the tomb was seriously damaged by a fire in 1997.
The relic that was already behind the high altar for some years, although it was not directly affected by the fire, was taken away from the fire area.
Today the Shroud is kept in a horizontal position inside a watertight case, in the absence of air under the royal gallery. It is not freely visitable, on the occasion of the ostensions the Shroud is exposed to the public.
When is the next ostension (public exhibition) of the Sacred Shroud?
There is no rule for ostensions: the Pope decides. He is the owner of the Shroud, bequeathed to the Holy See by Umberto II of Savoy. Therefore, nobody knows when the next exhibition will be. You can see a copy of the Sacred Shroud in the Museum of the Sacred Shroud.
Here you can see a digital copy of the Sacred Shroud and learn more about it.
USEFULL INFO
Opening hours: Mon – Sun (09.00 AM – 12.30 PM; 03.00 AM – 07.000 PM)
Admission: free
How to reach: Tram 4, 7; Bus 11, 19, 27, 50, 51, 57, 92, N04
Address: Piazza San Giovanni, 10122 Torino TO
