If you would like to purchase a Titulus Crucis or Shroud facecloth you can just email me
Christian Relics
Titulus Crucis
Here is a 4 x 4 metal plaque
Here is one of my attempts at the above piece
It is the board that was over the head of Jesus when he was on the cross stating his crime. It has come to be known in Latin as the "Titulus Crucis," pronounced tijulus, which simply means "inscription" on the Cross."
According to the Gospels, the headboard inscription said: "Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews, in three languages: top-Aramaic, middle-Greek and bottom- Latin.
The letters are hand engraved into the wood. The first letter of the four words forms the "tetragrammaton" or the name of God (Yodh Heh Vav Heh). It measures in 20x 6in x 1in thick. It also has a hook on the back.
Its history: Titulus Crucis (Latin for "Inscription of the Cross") also known as ogium is a relic kept in the Church of Santa Croce in Rome—the earlier palace of Helena of Constantinople—which the tradition claims in 1140 is half of the cross's titulus and a part of the True Cross. Michael Hesemann and Prof Carsten Peter Thiede insist that it is truly a part of the Cross, written by a Jewish scribe. He cites that the order of the languages match what is historically accurate and not the order shown in the New Testament because should it be phony, the forgerer would try to remain faithful to the text instead.
I received this letter of recommendation from Michael Hesemann:
Dear Brian,
I gratefully received your reconstruction of the Titulus Crucis, the headboard of the Cross of Christ.
As you know, half of the original Titulus is preserved and venerated in the Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome. Between 1997 and 1999, I had the honour to investigate it, with permission of the Secretary of State of the Holy See and the Pontificial Academy of Sciences. My findings were presented to H.H., Pope John Paul II in December 1998 and to the scientific community in May 1999 at a conference at the Pontificial Lateran University, before I published my book “Die Jesus Tafel” (Italian: Titulus Crucis) in October 1999. They were confirmed by the works of Prof. Carsten-Peter Thiede and Prof. Maria-Luisa Rigato.
The historical evidence indicates that the relic venerated in Rome is indeed half of the original Titulus, discovered in 325 AD during the construction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem over the site of the death and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of the Empress Helena, mother of Constantine the Great. She divided it into two halves; one remained in Jerusalem where it was described by several pilgrims and Church historians during the 4th-7th century, the other she took to Rome, to her palace which later was transformed into the Basilica di S. Croce. There, during restoration works, the relic was rediscovered in 1492 and declared authentic by a Papal bulla of Pope Alexander VI.
When I saw your replica, when I followed and advised its creation process, I was deeply impressed by your careful reconstruction and the realistic look of the result. It indeed became your masterpiece. I am glad to testify that the result got as close to the probable appearance of the original as possible. Therefore, it became an important tool for both, scholars and the faithful, to re-live the most significant moment in history.
The Titulus Crucis is not only a silent witness of the condemnation and execution of Our Lord Jesus Christ, it also became an instrument of the revelation, when the pagan Roman governor Pontius Pilate revealed that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the promised Messiah, the King of the Jews. More than that, the initials of the Hebrew Yeshu Ha-Nozri, W(u)melech Hajehudim correspond with the Tetragrammaton YHWH, the Name of God.
Since the Titulus Crucis is the only contemporary document mentioning Our Lord as well as the only “surviving” juridical document of the condemnation of Jesus Christ, we can very well call it the most important document of the human history.
Therefore, I am grateful that you re-created it in such a beautiful way!
Wholeheartedly I recommend it to scholars, religious communities and Parishes for both, teaching purposes and religious inspiration.
God bless you,
yours in Christ
Michael Hesemann, CSC.
Historian and Author
I have attempted to come close to the actual letter style of the actual headboard at the Church of Santa Croce. I have written what the actual whole piece would have said in complete form. I got that from Michael Hesemann and Prof. Thiede's book on the Titulus. It measures 6in x 20in.
It does not have the name Jesus written in Greek and Latin, but only abbreviated since the name Jesus was a very common name in Israel at the time. The Hebrew letters are also a little more elaborate like the Hebrew letters of the first century. The letters are also painted black and the background of the one below has white paint like the orignal.
Shroud of Turin
Here's a great website on ongoing studes of the Shroud
Here's one in Spanish
Negative Image
This is a replica of the shroud of Turin printed on "linen" cloth like the original! You have the choice between a dark or light color linen. It is taken directly from actual photos of the actual shroud. The cloth is 11in x 14in, so it will fit nicely into a frame. The size of the face is the actual size of a human face. This is not the "negative" image, but what the face would like.