- The Mandylion Icon of Edessa was a shroud that was believed to hold the image of Jesus.
- Legend tells that whilst gravely ill, King Abgar VI of Edessa requested that Jesus come to cure him. Unable to travel himself, Jesus pressed a scarf to his face and sent this instead. When it reached the King, it resulted in the King being cured and becoming a Christian.
History
- Accompanying the Relic was a Letter stating that whilst Edessa possessed the Icon, it would never fall to an enemy army.
- The Image, known as the Pantokrator (All Ruler), was then copied on wall paintings and domes in churches throughout Christendom. It consists of Christ facing the viewer, with his right hand raised in a blessing and his left hand holding a Gospel book.
- The Image appears to have left Edessa around 944 CE and been deposited in Constantinople.
- In 1204 CE during the Fourth Crusade and Sack of Constantinople in 1204 CE, it appears to have been carried off.
- In 1241 CE Baldwin I of Constantinople sold a collection of Relics to Louis IX of France, which included the Shroud. The Shroud was then housed in the Saint Chapelle in Paris.
- The shroud disappeared during the French Revolution of 1789 CE.
- Although it has been linked to the Shroud of Turin, that Shroud has been preserved in Turin Cathedral since 1578 CE.
Edessa (Urfu in Turkey)