According to an ancient legend, one of the disciples healed the leprosy of King Agbar of Edessa in southern Turkey by letting him touch Christ's burial cloth, and the cloth remained in the possession of Agbar, who was the first pagan ruler to be converted to Christianity. When his successor reverted to paganism, the Christians of Edessa hid it in a niche in the city wall to protect it, where it was discovered nearly five centuries later. It is not legend but a historical fact that the Byzantines so prized a holy relic, which they called the Mandylion, (a name derived from a Greek word for an ecclesiastical robe) that they organized an expedition in 944 to wrest it from the Muslims who had gained control of Edessa. From then until the sack of Constantinople in 1204, the Mandylion was carefully guarded; it was on show to the public only twice a year. After 1204 it disappeared and was never seen again. “But what was this precious object? Apparently it was some sort of image of Christ's face imprinted on a piece of cloth, and there can be no doubt about its influence on religious art after its discovery in the city wall of Edessa. Before the early sixth century, Jesus was often pictured as short-haired and clean shaven. Thereafter he is always shown as longhaired, bearded, and with a pronounced V above the bridge of his nose - all features that correspond to the image on the Turin Shroud. Could it not be that the Mandylion lost in 1204 resurfaced as the shroud 150 years later? “One problem is that the Mandylion is reputed to have borne only the face of Christ, not his entire body. But the shroud shows signs of having been folded, and it could be that only the head was open to view. The Byzantines kept the Mandylion in a frame; they may not have been aware of its full significance. In any event, there is a good possibility that it was rescued from the sack of Constantinople and taken to France by members of the Knights Templar. It is just the sort of thing they would have done, given the opportunity. The Knights Templar made many enemies within the Christian world. One of these was France's King Philip IV, who, determined to suppress the Templars, had many of their leaders burned at the stake in 1313. One man among Philip's victims was named Geoffrey de Charney - a variant spelling for de Charny. Could Geoffrey's family have been the very people who put the Mandylion on display in 1357 as the burial shroud of Christ? At least, it is a plausible explanation of the sudden appearance of this relic after a lapse of many centuries.” — From St. George's Parish News (http://www.stgeorgesnews.org/1999/06f11.htm)
Some of the common characteristics between the Shroud and many icon images are: the large hollow eyes, forked beard, a sprock of hair in the middle of forehead, a flattened nose, raised cheeks, and most pronounced is a double line across the neck which corresponds with a fold line on the Shroud. Not all Icons have all the same characteristics but the pattern is clear.” — From http://www.shroud2000.com/icons.html
The Mandyllon - from Evagrios' Ecclesiatical History (PG 86, 2, 2748), 7th century.
The Holy Shroud - official website of the Archdiocese of Turin
Read about the most recent exposition of the Shroud
Russian Orthodox delegation visits holy shroud in Turin - from Zenit.org
“ ...in Russia and Russian Orthodox Church there is a great interest to the Shroud of Turin”
A Traditionalist Orthodox perspective on the Shroud
Did the Shroud of Turin serve as an original model for many Byzantine icons?
The Ikon of the burial shroud of Christ shown here is in SS Peter & Paul Church, Meriden, CT. It is done entirely in needlepoint according to ancient tradition. The body of Christ - in colors taken from the burial shroud of St. Sergius of Radonezh - was sewn separately and appliqued to the background of red Chinese silk. The lettering was sewn in yellow silk thread directly on the red silk background. The work was done in the workshops of the St Gregory of Sinai Monastery, Richmond CA. (OCA Bulgarian Diocese)