Chapel of the Holy Shroud


The Chapel of the Holy Shroud is a Baroque-style Roman Catholic chapel in Turin in northern Italy. Located outside the Turin Cathedral and connected to the Royal Palace of Turin, the chapel was designed by the architect Guarino Guarini and built at the end of the 17th century, during the reign of Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy. The chapel was constructed to house the Shroud of Turin, a religious relic believed by many to be the burial shroud of Jesus of Nazareth.

Closure

In 1997, the chapel was severely damaged by a massive fire, the cause of which is still a mystery. Firefighters who arrived on the scene managed to save the shroud allegedly by smashing through its bulletproof glass case. Subsequently, it was closed to the public and took over 21 years, and €30 million in funding to repair and restore the chapel to its original splendour. On September 27, 2018, the chapel reopened to the public with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by the mayor and several government officials.

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