In the novel “The City of Heretics,” a provocative writer offers his own scandalous interpretation of events that happened several centuries ago, when one of the most important relics for all Christians appeared in medieval Europe—the Shroud of Turin.
The ecumenical council of 787 decreed: “If, beginning from today, any bishop consecrates a temple in which there are no sacred relics, he will lose his rank as a violator of church traditions.”
Duke Geoffroi de Charny understood the importance of this law. He also perfectly understood that any temple is a commercial enterprise. And to make it profitable, you need to approach the matter of attracting parishioners correctly. What could attract gullible people better than some relic? For example, the material in which Christ was wrapped after the crucifixion.
A love story between people and love of money— a story of selflessness and baseness, honor and betrayal. A story of faith in God, and crimes carried out under the cover of faith. The story of creating a “relic,” later called the “Shroud of Turin,” is told in this book…