Forensic study reveals what Christ’s Crown of Thorns looked like

The Crown of Thorns is kept in the treasury of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Photo: BBC

Using modern forensic analysis, researcher Otangelo Grasso reconstructed the likely form of Jesus Christ’s Crown of Thorns based on blood patterns found on the Shroud of Turin – the cloth that wrapped His body after the Crucifixion.

Grasso asserts that the Crown of Thorns was shaped like a circlet or wreath, rather than a cap-like helmet, as it is sometimes portrayed in Christian art. This is confirmed by the pattern of blood traces on the Shroud.

The study shows that on the imprint of the head, blood is concentrated on the forehead, temples, and nape, but there are no traces on the top of the head – a key fact ruling out the “helmet-style” theory.

Grasso writes: “Shroud head-stain mapping, a clean vertex bridge amid otherwise active head/face transfer potential, experimental inward-spine mechanics, posture-driven posterior elevation, and the build-time/manipulation differential together provide support for a circlet over a cap.”

Using artificial intelligence, the researcher projected the contours of the Shroud image and analyzed how the nature of the wounds and blood stains indicated a specific type of thorn crown.

According to Grasso, “Blood patterns on both relics corresponded to a narrow band of wounds, consistent with a ring-style crown rather than a dome-like structure. Geometric analysis demonstrates circlet compatibility.”

Background: Forensic (medico-legal) examination is a scientific study of physical evidence using methods from criminology, medicine, and related sciences to determine the circumstances of a crime or event. In this case, techniques used to analyze blood traces in criminal investigations were applied.

Meanwhile, the Crown of Thorns itself is preserved in Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, and its authenticity is not questioned.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that a Catholic Church hierarch had refuted yet another fake concerning the Shroud of Turin.

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