This Holy Shroud of Oviedo is believed to be the cloth that was wrapped around the head of Jesus Christ after his death, similar to the Holy Sudarium of Turin.
The Holy Shroud has had an epic journey before arriving at its current location in Asturias. It was transported from Palestine in 614 AD to avoid destruction and eventually ended up in Asturias under the care of King Pelayo in 732 AD.
The Sudarium of Oviedo, is a bloodstained piece of cloth measuring c. 84 x 53 cm (33 x 21 inches) kept in the Cámara Santa of the Cathedral of San Salvador. The small chapel housing it was built specifically for the cloth by King Alfonso II El Casto in AD 840; the Arca Santa is an elaborate reliquary chest for the storage of the Sudarium and other relics.
Deep in the vaults of the San Salvador Cathedral in Oviedo lies a holy relic of immense importance to Christians and historians alike….. the Holy Sudarium of Oviedo.
«The Sudarium shows signs of advanced deterioration, with dark flecks that are symmetrically arranged but form no image, unlike the markings on the Shroud of Turin. The face cloth is mentioned as having been present in the empty tomb. Outside of the Bible the Sudarium is first mentioned in 570 AD by Antoninus of Piacenza, who writes that the Sudarium was being cared for in the vicinity of Jerusalem in a cave near the monastery of Saint Mark.
The Sudarium is presumed to have been taken from Palestine in 614 AD, after the invasion of the Byzantine provinces by the Sassanid Persian King Khosrau II. In order to avoid destruction in the invasion, it was taken away first to Alexandria by the presbyter Philip, then carried through northern Africa when Khosrau II conquered Alexandria in 616 AD and arrived in Spain shortly thereafter. The Sudarium entered Spain at Cartagena, along with people who were fleeing from the Persians. Fulgentius, bishop of Ecija, welcomed the refugees and the relics, and gave the chest containing the Sudarium to Leandro, bishop of Seville. He took it to Seville, where it spent some years.
In 657 it was moved to Toledo, then in 718 on to northern Spain to escape the advancing Moors. The Sudarium was hidden in the mountains of Asturias in a cave known as Montesacro until king Alfonso II, having battled back the Moors, built a chapel in Oviedo to house it in 840 AD.
On 14 March 1075, King Alfonso VI, his sister and Rodrigo Diaz Vivar (El Cid) opened the chest after days of fasting. The event was recorded on a document preserved in the Capitular Archives at the Cathedral of San Salvador in Oviedo. The king had the oak chest covered in silver with an inscription which reads, «The Sacred Sudarium of Our Lord Jesus Christ». Wikipedia
There is much mystery surrounding this Holy Shroud and Álvaro Blanco and his team have set about to explore it further and finally unravel the truths behind this intriguing artifact.
An exposition has been built around their findings and we where too curious not to make a video about it. We hope it sparks your curiosity like it did ours… Enjoy!
Thank you to Alvaro blanco, organizer of the exhibition, for his knowledge and amazing explanations. We hope you have great luck on your Journey Presenting the Holy Shroud to the world: Sábana Santa Exhibition.
If you want more information contact Where is Asturias at info@whereisasturias.com