The restorer of ancient books Luciano Sassi: 'after 24 years of research I will explain how the shroud is made'

'Over time the fatty substances oxidize and become hazel in color' explains the expert. 'And here, then, the features of the Man of the Shroud appear on the linen. In the books closed on the shelves the same thing happens: elements appear that were not seen before '

In addition to the many studies and the many theories on the Shroud, another revealed by the weekly Oggi, on newsstands, is added. Luciano Sassi, restorer of ancient books and documents also on behalf of the State Archives of Milan and Mantua, is certain of this, the scholar who discovered the only known autograph signature of Leonardo da Vinci.

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AFTER 24 YEARS OF RESEARCH - 'The subject is very delicate. And there are so many mythomaniacs in circulation ', Sassi explains to Oggi his interpretation of the mystery:' Nothing supernatural. This is confirmed by a parallel with paper, which after the invention of printing was obtained from linen rags, the same material as the sacred sheet, washed in lime or ash. In the middle of the last millennium, paper mills began to be built near metal-polluted waterways. And the iron residues darken by oxidation '. Does he find images similar to the Shroud in books? “Yes, but that's not the point. We assume that it is the Nazarene. We must first examine how the inks were at that time and what was smeared on the corpse, because the oxidation on the sacred cloth is of protein origin, from organic material. From oil, in practice ».

AS IT HAPPENS FOR BOOKS - Sassi tells how «over time the fatty substances oxidize and become hazelnut in color. And here, then, the features of the Man of the Shroud appear on the linen. In the books closed on the shelves the same thing happens: elements appear that were not seen before ».

Read the full interview on Today on newsstands