The Flowers of the Shroud.

After the extraordinary exposition of the Shroud of Turn, interest in this precious relic has not decreased. In Jerusalem in particular (where the events marked by the Shroud took place) this interest has been kept alive by a permanent exhibit housed at the Notre Dame Center and by various meetings and conferences connected to it. Recently Professor Avinoam Danin, botany expert at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, publicized the findings of his studies on specific traces of pollen found on the Shroud.

As the author of "Botany of the Shroud. History of Floral Images on the Shroud of Turin", he explains that hundreds of plant images are imprinted on the fabric of the Shroud. These images help to determine where and when those flowers were placed on the cloth.
Danin particularly focused his attention on three plants: the Zigofillum dumosum, a desert plant found mainly in Israel, Sinai and Jordan, the Sistus creticus, and the Gundel turneforti. And he concluded that "the area where the three fresh plants chosen as indicators could be collected and placed on the Shroud next to the body of a crucified man can only be one place in the world, that of the area between Jerusalem and Hebron." As for the flowering time, he notes that "March and April are the months of the year when dozens of the plants identified on the Shroud are flowering".

The research that Professor Danin put forth demonstrated that it was those fresh flowers that bloom and live only in these places that were placed on the Shroud, and confirm the specific use of that time and area for the custom of placing flowers on the bodies of the dead. This botanical data, added to the many other conclusions of scientific research, helps to confirm the authenticity of the sacred shroud that wrapped the body of Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified, died and was buried in this city of Jerusalem.