The Shroud at Court ― History, Usages, Places and Images of a Dynastic Relic

"The Shroud at the Court analyses, through various essays characterized by a multidisciplinary and diachronic perspective, the strict ties created between the Shroud and the Savoy court from the fifteenth to twentieth centuries. Presented as proof of thedivine legitimacy of Savoy lineage, the Shroud (of which the Savoy dynasty came into possession in 1453, keeping it first in Chambâery and then from 1578 in Turin) was central to their propagandistic strategies. The court--its spaces, protagonists, and rituals--became the natural setting for a relationship reinforced over time through customs, ceremonies, and images intended to celebrate the excellence of the Savoy, both within their own state and in Europe's 'society of princes.' Contributors are Paola Caretta, Paolo Cornaglia, Paolo Cozzo, Davide De Franco, Bernard Dompnier, Laura Gaffuri, Pierangelo Gentile, Luisella Giachino, Andrea Merlotti, Frâedâeric Meyer, Andrea Nicolotti, Almudena Pâerez de Tudela, Laurent Ripart, Alessandro Serra and Franca Varallo"--

Paolo Cozzo, Ph.D., is Professor of the History of Christianity and Churches at the University of Turin. He is author of several articles and monographs about the relationship between politics and religion in the modern and contemporary period.
Andrea Merlotti, Ph.D., is author of essays concerning the court and the House of Savoy. Since 2007 he has been the Director of the Study Center on Royal Sabaudian Residences in the Royal Palace of Venaria, where he has acted as a curator for numerous exhibitions and conferences.
Andrea Nicolotti, Ph.D., is Professor of the History of Christianity and Churches at the University of Turin. He has published many studies on the history of ancient Christianity and relics, especially the images “not made by human hand” impressed on textiles.