Firm believers in the authenticity of the Shroud were confident of a serious dating error (or incredible oversight in the c-14 dating process).

We dedicate this website to the remembrance Brendan Whiting, who's 2006 book "The Shroud Story" introduced the world to the most powerful evidence that the 1988 Shroud c-14 data (dating the Shroud in the 14th Century) was invalid.

Led by Giulio Fanti, a professor of mechanical and thermal measurement at Padua University, scientists tested fibers first removed in 1988 using infrared light and spectroscopy. Fanti and Saverio Gaeta, a journalist, have published the findings in a book entitled “Il Mistero della Sindone” (“The Mystery of the Shroud”), released yesterday by the Italian publisher Rizzoli.

The results place the shroud’s origin between 300 B. Their report is sure to draw criticism from skeptics while sparking new interest in the Shroud of Turin, which has been subjected to numerous examinations over the years.

This book, co-written by Fanti and Saverio Gaeta, is the exciting account of a discovery and the story of the extraordinary historical events of the most precious and revered relic of Christianity. The book apparently documents the recent Shroud testing done by Fanti and his research team at the University of Padua and reports the results of some chemical and mechanical tests they performed which they claim "confirms that the Shroud dates back to the 1st century." A pretty powerful statement for sure, but that is not the major problem.

The Shroud of Turin is much older than suggested by radiocarbon dating carried out in the 1980s, according to a new study in a peer-reviewed journal.

A research paper published in Thermochimica Acta suggests the shroud is between 1,300 and 3,000 years old.

The Vatican, tiptoeing carefully, has never claimed that the 14-foot linen cloth was, as some believers claim, used to cover Christ after he was taken from the cross 2,000 years ago.

Francis, reflecting that careful Vatican policy, on Saturday called the cloth, which is kept in a climate-controlled case, an "icon" -- not a relic.