After nearly 500 years the conservation operations allowed to observe the back of the Shroud, lined after the 1534 fire in Chambéry. So, it was definitely proved that the bloodstains are on both sides of the tissue and the impression on one side only.

The first attempt to examine the hidden side of the Shroud was in 1978 by the use of optical fibres and the retractor made expressly and now exhibited in a case of the Museum. Thus, it was established that only the bloodstains permeated the tissue whereas the image can not be seen on the back.

However, it was necessary to examine wider areas of the back of the Shroud to better compare the front to the back image. Hence, in 2000 the Paolo Soardo team converted a scanner, reducing its thickness to the minimum to guarantee its functioning and eliminating every corner to insert it between the linen of Holland and the Shroud without risking to damage the tissue. This operation was made possible thanks to the particular condition of the Shroud when prepared to be put into the new definitive conservation case that made it necessary to unstitch it from the linen of Holland along its perimeter. That intervention did not concern the patches’ seams and it was therefore possible to introduce the scanner only partially. However, remarkable images were obtained to confirm that the body impression is superficial and visible on the front of Shroud only and that the bloodstains, having penetrated the tissue, are visible on its back. The scan of the back of the face area is very important. The comparison with the scan of the same area on the front shows the absence of the impression and the presence of blood very well.
In 2002, having completely unstitched the patches and the linen of Holland, it was obtained the complete image of the back of the Shroud. Before applying the new support cloth, the back was scanned and photographed