Sindone Chapel, Baroque chapel in Turin Cathedral, Italy
Sindone Chapel is a chapel in Turin, Italy, between the cathedral and the Royal Palace. Its dome is built of grey stone with carved patterns, rising through stacked tiers to an oculus capped by a golden star. Three large circular windows with golden crosses pierce the vault, and ribbed arches divide the stone surfaces.
Carlo Emanuele I of Savoy commissioned the chapel in 1610–1611 from Ascanio Vitozzi and Carlo di Castellamonte to hold the Shroud; work stopped in 1624 with only the foundations laid. Guarino Guarini took over in 1668 and completed the dome on 27 October 1679, celebrating mass there on 15 May 1680. He died in 1683 leaving floors, a stairway and the altar unfinished; Antonio Bertola finished the project in 1694. A 1997 fire led to a 21-year restoration, reopened in 2018.
The chapel is named for the Shroud of Turin, the relic it was built to hold; the Savoy court kept the cloth on a temporary wooden altar before the chapel was finished. Cardinal Maurizio di Savoia pressed for completion, recalling the 1532 fire at Chambéry that had damaged the Shroud. The relic is now kept elsewhere and shown only on rare occasions.
The chapel reopened in 2018 after twenty-one years of restoration and can be seen during visits to the cathedral. Access is through the main entrance of the building, where signs guide the way to the annex.
Guarini used geometric principles when designing the dome, with arches overlapping to create a spiral pattern. This design guides natural light inward and produces an effect that changes throughout the day.
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