Friday 6 June, 2025

A new documentary on the Shroud will be presented for a limited time from Saturday June 7 on the ARTE platform (Europe). Lasting 90 minutes, it features several speakers in several countries, including France, Italy, America, Turkey and Israel. The audio is in French, but some web browsers (e.g., Chrome) provide live translated subtitles into English: see the Accessibility options of your web browser.

Innovative, this documentary is the first, to my knowledge, to present the thesis of the passage of the Shroud through the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. Unfortunately, the subject is treated so superficially that it is almost impossible to grasp its foundations. Fortunately, the film does not address implausible historical hypotheses, such as the supposed acquisition of the Shroud by the Knights Templar or the knight Othon de La Roche.

The documentary features Luigi Garlaschelli's alleged reproductions of the Shroud. Not only are these visually very different from the Shroud, but the fundamental aspect of examining linen fibers is ignored. Proof of a true reproduction of the Shroud would require photomicrographs of the threads, to confirm the absence of pigments or residues and to establish technical similarity.

The documentary includes misleading statements by historian Andrea Nicolotti. He portrays Henri de Poitiers, Bishop of Troyes, as an opponent of the Shroud during the first ostensions of the 14th century. The facts, however, contradict this assertion: the bishop always maintained cordial relations with the Lirey canons and actively supported the cult at the chapel.

For more information on the thesis regarding the Shroud's passage through the Sainte-Chapelle, please refer to the paper: The Shroud of Turin and the Sainte-Chapelle of Paris.