Since its transfer to Italy in 1578, the Shroud has never left the country. Often times, people are convinced they have seen the actual Shroud in other countries ( United States, Canada, etc.), but what they are probably really viewing is a beautiful life-size transparent photograph of the Shroud of Turin that is backlit. There are many of these beautiful prints and they are the closest thing to looking at the actual Shroud of Turin. The truth is that the Shroud is too precious to risk transporting across the world, especially overseas. There were a few times that it was transferred from St. Johnís Cathedral for its own protection or preservation; however, it remained in Italy during this time.

It was on March 18, 1983, that exiled King Umberto II of Savoy died, the final lay owner of the Shroud. In his will, he bequeathed the Shroud to the Vatican and the first papal owner, Pope John Paul II. Though it was in 1983 that the Vatican first owned the Shroud, it had been the primary caretakers of the Shroud since 1453, towards the beginning of its known history.

This website is a group effort by The Crucifixion and the Shroud Organization and other contributors. Where available, authorship is mentioned in the various articles. Most of the content on this site is written by Chris Knabenshue and Joseph Durham.

Because the resources on this site are written by many different authors, if an author is not listed, please assume it is The Crucifixion and the Shroud. There are many ways of citing websites, below are some samples based on popular styles that are frequently used in colleges and universities to assist you in citing this particular website.