Photographed at Saint-Sulpice, Paris/wikipedia.
11. Some People Dispute the Validity of the Carbon-14 Tests
The Shroud of Turin has been in several fires, beginning about the time of its appearance in the fourteenth century. As such, it has undergone numerous restorations over the past six centuries. When the carbon-14 dates were done in 1988, some scientists claimed that the tests were done on a Medieval patch that was sewn onto the original cloth as a means of repairing some of the damage to it. Additionally, there may have been problems with the carbon-14 dating method that was used, as the way that carbon interacts with the molecules in linen was not accurately accounted for.
Those claims may have some bearing, because there is other evidence that places the Shroud of Turin much, much earlier than the fourteenth century. There are some who suggest that it must be at least 1300 years old, due to forensic evidence regarding the chemicals that are found in the linen material. Evidence like the technique that would have been used to create such an elaborate forgery also indicates that the shroud could not have been a cheap hoax.
What is telling us that the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist is not among those contesting the validity of the 1988 test results. It would seem that to its custodian, hosting the shroud is not a commercial enterprise through which money can be made off of a fake Medieval relic. Perhaps it is taking the same stance as the Vatican regarding the authenticity of holy relics, that their authenticity is to be determined by the faithful, not by science.