The shroud image was called the ‘icon not made with hands’ when it was transferred from Edessa to Constantinople in AD 988 on this, its holy feast day. The image was ‘burned’ into the linen by the resurrection, not painted by hand, leaving the greatest of relics for our contemplation and adoration.
In 1204, Templar crusaders took the Shroud from Constantinople and it eventually came to Turin where it has been preserved as the Holy Image not made with hands. As witness to the resurrection, it bears the marks of the crucifixion, mysteriously bearing witness to the glory that raised Jesus on the third day.
The figure of Christ on the shroud has been subjected to rigorous scientific examination in modern times but the face of Christ transformed iconography in decisive ways long ago. Questioning us, the image bears witness to Christ resurrected, with its wondrous capacity to unveil the power of his glory in excruciating suffering.
Feast of the Icon not made with hands taken from Edessa to Constantinople in AD 988