Turin: The Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist (Shroud of Turin and tomb of Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati)
About the Cathedral (Duomo) of Saint John the Baptist in Turin:
There were actually three churches here in the 4th Century, and then this Cathedral, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, was built during 1491-1498.
A devastating fire broke out in 1997, and destroyed much of the church. Fortunately, certainly a “God thing”, the Shroud had been moved from the chapel to the Cathedral choir prior to the fire, to allow for repairs that were being made to the roof of the Cathedral. Hence, the Shroud was spared any damage.
Re-building immediately began, using many of the materials from the same quarry that Guarino Guarini used in the 17th Century, and has been meticulously restored and can now be reached from inside the royal palace, while the Holy Shroud will remain in the cathedral.
The Cathedral in Turin is especially notable for two reasons:
1. The Chapel of the Holy Shroud
is the current resting place of the Shroud of Turin, and was added to the structure in 1668-1694. The Shroud is probably the most holy relic in the Church and certainly the most widely-known. Although the Church has never ruled on its authenticity, there is little doubt in most minds…one way or the other. Attempts to date it have proven unsuccessful….but this is because the fragment that was examined was most likely taken from a patch on the shroud dating from the Middle Ages rather than from the shroud itself. Also, the fact that it is a negative image from a time when photography had not been invented, cannot be explained. There are other points to be made in favor of its authenticity, but from our viewpoint, it truly is the burial shroud of Christ.
It is not normally on display, rather it is locked in a silver casket within an iron box, inside a marble caseso, so don’t be disappointed. It is only displayed on certain occasions. But you can see an exact replica of the Shroud on display here in the Cathedral.
The shroud has usually been displayed every 10 years. One exception was in 2015, when Pope Francis ordered it to be displayed for a period of two months from April 19 until June 24, 2015. In 2020, due to the Covid-19 epidemic, it was not on public display; although, in April of that year, the Archdiocese of Turin held a special livestream event, showing the original shroud to the world via the internet.
Discredited testing of the Shroud:
The carbon tests overseen by the British Museum and Oxford University have since been discredited. For reasons not fully explained, researchers analyzed only a small fiber sample taken from an edge of the shroud that was damaged in a fire in 1532 and mended by Poor Clare nuns using dyes.
Studies conducted previously in 1988 using carbon-dating tests concluded the Shroud of Turin was a 700-year-old fake. But these tests were not done on the entire shroud, and so the tests may have only been done on a patch sewn on much later.
Newer tests tend to validate the claim that this is the original Shroud.
More sophisticated and accurate testing of the Shroud:
Meanwhile, ever more sophisticated tests of the cloth’s pollen, bloodstains, and its perfect three-dimensional imagery are producing mounting evidence that the Shroud of Turin was created in the first century by a “nuclear event” that can’t be replicated by today’s technology.
Here is a video that tells more about the testing of the Shroud (video starts at 28:06).
And here is an interesting article from Los Alamos National Laboratories about verifying the authenticity of the Shroud.
Click here for a website featuring many photos of the Shroud of Turin.
Click here for the Shroud website based in the U.S. (in English–packed with information).
To us, the scientific evidence seems to bear out the claim that this is truly the burial cloth of Christ. Of course, we always remember the saying:
“For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who do not believe, no proof is sufficient“.
2. The tomb of Pier Georgio in Turin Cathedral:
In addition to the Shroud, you will also find the tomb of Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925), Turin native, fun-loving, avid athlete, devout Catholic and benefactor of the poor, called the “Saint for youth of the Third Millennium. Pier Giorgio was pursuing a degree in mining engineering, so that he could “serve Christ better among the miners. At that time, miners were among the poorest and subject to some of the worst working conditions. This attracted Pier Giorgio’s missionary spirit.
Upon his death at the young age of 24, his parents were astonished at the huge turnout for his funeral. People from all walks of life, especially the poor and the outcast, turned up to bid him farewell.
In 1981, his body was found to be incorrupt when it was transferred to the Cathedral here in Turin. Miracles have been credited to his intercession, such as this one here.
He was beatified by John Paul II in 1990.
In 2024, Pope Francis. in talking about Pier Georgio said: “I am reminded of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati — soon to be a saint — who went to the homes of the poor in Turin to bring help,” the pope said.
Pier Georgio Frassati was canonized on August 7, 2025 and is now Saint Pier Georgio.
His Feast Day is celebrated July 4.
So revered is he as a model for young people, that his body was carried to World Youth Day Celebrations in Spain in 2011, again to World Youth day in 2013 in Brazil, and to Krakow in 2016.
His tomb is located in a side chapel on the left side of the Cathedral, not far from the Shroud of Turin.
Click here to order Blessed Pier Giorgio medals from The Catholic Company.
Click here for the official USA website for Blessed Pier Giorgio. (lots of great information).
We recommend the book “A Man of Beatitudes” from Ignatius Press.
Traveling to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin:
Address: Piazza San Giovanni.
GPS coordinates: 45° 4′ 23.5992” N, 7° 41′ 9.2652” E
Tel: +39 (011) 436 1540
The official website of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin is not a secure (https) website. An unsecure website poses significant risks such as data breaches, unauthorized access to sensitive information, and potential malware distribution
There is a former website address that now takes you to a gambling website.
Get train & bus schedules, see fares & buy tickets here.
Bl Pier Giorgio Photo © Associazione Pier Giorgio Frassati, Rome. Used with permission.
⇐ Back to Catholic shrines and places of interest in Turin
The shroud. Jesus would have look like a comon man, not like what we see on the cross. The face on the shroud looks like a true king. What if when jesus left his human body ( i hope i have this right) for three days, or when his whole body and soul ascended into heaven, that the true face of jesus was imprinted onto the cloth. Because that much energy radiating from his body would have been great. And when jesus came back and no one recognized him, is because he came back in his true form like on the shrou. Just a thought ive had a long time. People most likely make fun of this comment. So if im way off i apologize. I love jesus with all my heart,you have to respect a person who knew what he was walking into for people of all sin and asked for forgiveness of people who beat him brutality.
Vero