1978

STURP examines the cloth

A team conducts a multi-day scientific examination and collects samples.

The Shroud of Turin Research Project carried out a direct examination in 1978. Its observations and interpretations have been discussed extensively, and subsequent researchers have disagreed about what the findings establish.

In October 1978, the Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP) conducted a roughly 120-hour examination using photography, spectroscopy, radiography, microscopy and other non-destructive methods, alongside a small number of tape samples. Scientists and specialists worked in rooms near the cathedral, documenting image, blood-like marks, scorch, water stains and background linen.¹

What the surviving source says

The project’s published papers reported observations about the superficial yellowing of image fibrils, the distinction between image and scorch areas, and the limits of identifying the image mechanism. STURP did not prove that the cloth was first-century or identify the man as Jesus. Its conclusions must be taken from the peer-reviewed papers and formal summary, not later claims made in its name.¹²

Historical significance and limits

The examination is a major modern research milestone. Its value lies in measured properties and documented methods; interpretations beyond those measurements remain open to review.²³

Sources and further reading

1. STURP, documentation of the October 1978 scientific examination. Consult the cited passage in the full source and its transmission context; the article distinguishes the source’s wording from later interpretation.
2. Otangelo Grasso, The Image That Should Not Exist: A Scientific Investigation of the Shroud of Turin (2026), ch. 2, “Origins and Historical Record,” pp. 23–31. Author synthesis; not an independent witness.
3. Otangelo Grasso, From Forensics to Faith (2026), ch. 3, “6th to 14th Century History,” pp. 126–194. The book advances an interpretation; this article separates that interpretation from the underlying document or measurement.
4. Otangelo Grasso, The Shroud of Turin: A Forensic Summary, 3rd ed. (2026), ch. 16, “The Hidden Thread,” pp. 276–294. The author’s proposed reconstruction is cited as interpretation, not corroboration.
5. Read the STURP team’s project summary. Further reading or contextual source retained from this event’s earlier bibliography.
6. International Centre of Sindonology, historical overview. Further reading or contextual source retained from this event’s earlier bibliography.
7. Shroud.com historical chronology and document references. Further reading or contextual source retained from this event’s earlier bibliography.