Savoy History Series - Debut November 8. GLORIFYING CHURCH AND STATE: THE CHAPEL OF THE HOLY SHROUD OF TURIN, GUARINI AND THE ROYAL HOUSE OF SAVOY. Presented by Professor John Beldon Scott. Register here: fill out the form and you will receive an email with a link to the lecture.

This Sixteenth Savoy History Series, originally presented by Professor John Beldon Scott in the Fall of 2018, entitled Glorifying Church and State: The Chapel of the Holy Shroud of Turin, Guarini and the Royal House of Savoy, explores the Savoy's Dynasty's pivotal role in the history of the holy relic as expressed in the great architectural marvel of the chapel's dome design.

Located between the Cathedral and the Savoy Royal Palace in Turin, priest-architect Guarino Guarini’s Holy Shroud chapel embodies both sacred and secular imagery, demonstrating the dual function of the relic in the religion and politics of the early modern Savoyard realm.

The design, particularly the chapel’s dome structure, holds a prominent place in the history of Baroque architecture as one of the most radical conceptions of its epoch. Reference to the Supreme Order of the Santissima Annunziata and its members’ participation in ritual displays of the Shroud also figure in the chapel’s ceremonial portal.

Severely damaged by fire in 1997, the chapel has been restored following a twenty-year effort and opened to the public in Fall 2018. Professor Scott examines the dynastic role of the relic as expressed in the chapel and then discussed images of the newly-restored work.