FLORENCE, ITALY – The public presentation of the Shroud of Turin will be complemented by a famous 15th century painting The Lamentation of Christ by Renaissance master Beato Angelico.
The painting, which had been damaged by rain when a tornado hit Florence last September, will be displayed from Thursday through June 30.
The recently restored Lamentation, depicting weeping mourners wrapping Christ’s body in the Shroud, has been loaned by the Museum of San Marco in Florence to enhance visitors’ experience in Turin. Pope Francis has said that he will visit the shroud on June 21.
A special mobile app through Google Play or Apple, offers viewers an audio guide narrated by Timothy Verdon, director of the Duomo museum in Florence, illuminates the panel which was painted between 1441 and 1442.
Experts suggest that Fra Angelico likely saw the Turin shroud before he painted the Lamentation panel, with the result an intense rendering of the moments after Christ’s crucifixion The Shroud, which is rarely seen by the public, will be displayed in the Chapel of the Shroud in the crypt beneath the Turin’s most important cathedral.
Fra Angelico (born Guido di Pietro; c. 1395 – February 18, 1455) was an Early Italian Renaissance painter described by Vasari in his Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects as having “a rare and perfect talent”.
In 1982 Pope John Paul II proclaimed his beatification, in recognition of the holiness of his life, thereby making the title of “Blessed” official.
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