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reference to the Shroud of Turin. Interestingly, unlike the Turin cloth, whose recorded history begins in the Middle Ages, the Sudarium can be traced back to 614 AD when Persia attacked Jerusalem. To avoid destruction by the invading forces, it was first moved to Alexandria, then across Africa. It eventually made its way to Spain by way of the masses fleeing the Persians. It was carried in the Arca Santa. The chest and relics within were given to Leandro, Bishop of Seville, and then it was moved to Toledo until 718 before being sent further north to escape destruction by the invading Muslims. For a time, it was kept in a grotto ten kilometers from Oviedo. Alfonso II had a chapel erected, the Cámara Santa, to house the Arca Santa. This building was later incorporated into the Cathedral of San Salvador.
    “In 1075, the Arca Santa was officially opened before King Alfonso VI. A manifest was made of the relics contained within, including the Sudarium. It has been kept in the Cámara Santa in Oviedo ever since and, as you know, is only brought out and displayed three times a year: Good Friday, the Feast of the Cross on 14 September, and its octave on 21 September.”
    “In the briefing, you mentioned the blood type on the Sudarium matches the Shroud of Turin: AB positive,” Tolen said.
    “Si, a rare type that only three percent of the world’s population has, but there are other similarities between the two cloths as well. Three species of pollen specific to the region around Jerusalem are on both the Sudarium and on the Shroud. Also, the Sudarium contains traces of pollen from Israel, Africa, and Spain, confirming its documented history of flight from invading armies that took it from Jerusalem through Northern Africa and eventually to Oviedo.
    “Tests have confirmed that the man whose face was covered by the Sudarium had a beard, moustache, and long hair tied up at the nape of the neck. These are the same findings as the Shroud, although most people of Jewish descent at the time had those features, so it is not an unusual finding. In addition, the stains on the Sudarium show a series of wounds produced in life by some sharp objects, such as, say, from a crown of thorns. These, too, match the Shroud.”
    Tolen could not resist playing devil’s advocate, but he did so delicately. “I understand Carbon-14 dating places the Sudarium’s origination in the 7 th century.”
    “True,” Diaz said firmly, surveying Tolen. To Tolen, the Spaniard seemed to welcome the question, which could only mean he had a convincing rebuttal. “About thirty years ago, an Italian Professor, Pierluigi Baima Bollone, conducted the carbon dating, but even he was unable to vouch for the validity. He is quoted as saying, ‘ the result is not easy to interpret due to the well-known difficulties of dating textiles and to the conditions under which the sample was kept when it was taken in 1979 until it came to us in 1983 .’ At a conference on the Sudarium in the 1990s, participants agreed, stating that ‘ textiles left alone in normal atmospheric conditions are prone to becoming highly contaminated .’”
    “Are all inspectors in Spain this well versed on religious relics?” Tolen asked.
    “You can attribute some of my newfound knowledge of the Sudarium to my long flight to the U.S. I had plenty of time to read and needed to focus my mind somewhere other than Javier’s death for awhile.” Diaz paused and cocked his head sideways; his eyebrows pitched in concern. “Your use of the term ‘religious relic’ is quite troublesome. You say it as if you are referring to any class of artifact in history: a wheel from a 3 rd –century Roman chariot, an amulet from an Egyptian tomb, a Chinese terracotta warrior statue.” He leaned toward Tolen, speaking slowly. “The Sudarium is the cloth which touched Jesus’ face when He died for our sins and commended His soul into the Lord’s hands. It is not a mere artifact; it is our connection to the