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A new forensic study has revealed that the linen cloths attributed to the saint are not mere devotional relics.
In the Carmelite convent of Alba de Tormes, Spain, where the remains of St. Teresa of Jesus rest, science and faith have once again met face to face. A new forensic study has revealed that the linen cloths said to be the saint's are not mere devotional relics: They were burial shrouds, used to wrap the body of the reformer of Carmel and the author of some of the greatest Spanish poetry of all time.
The research, conducted by chemical engineer Felipe Montero Ortego and forensic doctor Alfonso Sánchez Hermosilla — founding member of the Sudarium of Oviedo Association — has confirmed the presence of stains consistent with cadaveric fluids.The faint outline of a woman’s body imprinted on the fabric seems to stand as a silent witness to Teresa’s final passage.
Woven from high-quality linen with Z-twisted threads — a refined weaving technique for the 16th century — the cloths have survived the centuries in better condition than expected. Yet the scientists warn of active biological deterioration, as explained by Salamanca Al Día. Under the microscope, the fabric reveals both its fragility and its dignity: traces of red-dyed silk fibers and the absence of artificial preservatives suggest that these textiles were kept with great reverence, protected from air and decay.
Continued below.
In the Carmelite convent of Alba de Tormes, Spain, where the remains of St. Teresa of Jesus rest, science and faith have once again met face to face. A new forensic study has revealed that the linen cloths said to be the saint's are not mere devotional relics: They were burial shrouds, used to wrap the body of the reformer of Carmel and the author of some of the greatest Spanish poetry of all time.
The research, conducted by chemical engineer Felipe Montero Ortego and forensic doctor Alfonso Sánchez Hermosilla — founding member of the Sudarium of Oviedo Association — has confirmed the presence of stains consistent with cadaveric fluids.The faint outline of a woman’s body imprinted on the fabric seems to stand as a silent witness to Teresa’s final passage.
Woven from high-quality linen with Z-twisted threads — a refined weaving technique for the 16th century — the cloths have survived the centuries in better condition than expected. Yet the scientists warn of active biological deterioration, as explained by Salamanca Al Día. Under the microscope, the fabric reveals both its fragility and its dignity: traces of red-dyed silk fibers and the absence of artificial preservatives suggest that these textiles were kept with great reverence, protected from air and decay.
Continued below.
The forensic enigma of St. Teresa’s burial cloths, solved
A new forensic study has revealed that the linen cloths attributed to the saint are not mere devotional relics.
aleteia.org
