Add a review about the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin is the main religious structure of the city. It is here that the Shroud of Christ is located, or, as it is also called, the Turin Shroud.

The Shroud is kept in the specially constructed chapel of Guarini, which was built in 1694 (the cathedral was built two centuries earlier, in 1498). The name of the chapel was awarded to the architect who built it. In 1997, a fire broke out in the chapel, but the shroud remained unharmed. Since then, the shroud has been guarded even more carefully, and the restoration work of the building has continued for several years.

The authentic Shroud is exposed to the public every twenty-five years. All the rest of the time in a prominent place is a copy, and the real shrine is safely hidden in the cathedral. Next time the shroud will be shown no earlier than 2025
The bloody stains remained on the shroud of scratches done to Jesus Christ by the thorns wreath.

The authenticity of the shroud stored in Turin has been the subject of religious and scientific disputes for many years. But this does not prevent tens of thousands of pilgrims and simply curious to come to Turin for the sake of seeing the fabric in which the body of Jesus Christ might have been wrapped.

The Turin Shroud is famous for the fact that the trail of the crucified human body remained visible on the shroud. And around the head there is a bloody halo. It is believed that these are bloody stains left over from scratches inflicted on Jesus Christ by thorns wreath.

The cathedral of John the Baptist was built quite quickly, the works continued from 1491 to 1498. The place for construction was chosen not accidentally. Earlier here were the first Christian churches - in honor of the Holy Savior, the Church of St. Mary and the Church of St. Giovanni Battista. The first Christians place and became the center for the Cathedral of John the Baptist, which was created according to all the canons of the Renaissance.

Cardinal Domenico della Rovere instructed the architect Bartolomeo di Francesca (his other name - Meo Caprina) to be almost seditious: to demolish the three old churches and create new temple. With this task, the ambitious artist coped very well. The Cathedral of John the Baptist turned out to be a strict geometric form. The main staircase of the temple leads to the interior of the cathedral.

The building of the cathedral is made of white marble, decorated with reliefs. Other buildings in Turin are built of a much darker stone.

No less virtuously architect Guarini in the 17th century entered the ensemble of the chapel for storing the shroud. According to the artist's intention, the ascent to the chapel on the stairs should symbolize the elevation of the soul, the defeat of death before life and divine light. The marble steps of the two stairs of the chapel are made of dark stone. As the ascent rises, the gaze stumbles upon the light coming from the dome - also a symbol of the "lightening" of the soul, which seeks from the black earth to the sun and god.

In one of the rooms of the cathedral there is a museum of sacred art.

Turin Shroud and the Savior Not Made by Hands

Find the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is easy - it is exactly midway between the Royal Palace in Turin and the Egyptian Museum. Almost immediately after the cathedral there are ruins - remains of a Roman fortress.

Address: Torino, Via 20 Settembre, 79.