The Museum of The Holy Shroud is a new institution located in Wabash Indiana. We are a non-profit organization that has a non-denominational Christian orientation. Our purpose is to present to the public the history of the Shroud of Turin through literature, art, and theology. The project consists of three distinct elements, a Museum, a Research Library, and a Shrine.
The Museum will house a vast collection of devotional art depicting the Shroud during its rare public exhibitions. The display will present statues, oil paintings, engravings, embroideries, photographs, medallions, medals, coins and stamps, etc. The range of this collection is from the earliest known engraving of the Shroud, dated 1578, through the ages to the present. This collection is one of the three largest in the world, and compares to the official museum in Turin Italy and the traveling collection of the last king of Italy in Switzerland.
The Library collection consists of more than 1000 titles of books, periodicals, journals, documents, etc. The range from the earliest known book on the Shroud, dated 1581, through the ages to the present.
The Museum will house relics of the Shroud, among the most rare in the Catholic tradition. They will be exhibited in a prayer and meditation chapel with relics of Catholic Saints who had great devotion to the Shroud.
This project is located in a unique compound of two buildings on seven acres of manicured lawns and treed land. The main building was once the movie studio of Mark Honeywell. It has been repurposed several times; following its life as a studio, it became a country club on the Honeywell golf course. Most recently it was an up-scale restaurant. It is an ideal setting for the Museum. It is best described as a Norman Tudor style of architecture. The four story structure is built of stucco and Indiana limestone. The interior features a grand room with vaulted oak beamed ceiling, and leaded glass windows. A perfect location for the main gallery.
The second gallery space is a curved windowed space over-looking a vast lawn with many trees and a bridged canal. There are several other smaller gallery spaces. Restoration of the interior is nearly complete. The heating system, as well as the electrical and plumbing systems have all been brought up to code. Painting is complete and flooring has been refreshed.
The exterior of the building remains in need of restoration. Many roofing shingles must be replaced. The stucco needs to be repaired and painted. Much of the Tudor woodwork must be replaced. The leaded windows are in need of re-puttying. We are in the process of fundraising and grant writing.
The second building is a large one story building that was once the pool house of the filled-in swimming pool of the old country club. It will be re-purposed for future expansion.
The City of Wabash has that wonderful small town feel. There are many architecturally significant buildings in the downtown area. Wabash is well on the way to becoming a major tourist attraction in the area. The Ford Theater in the Honeywell Center is a state of the art, 1500 seat modern concert venue that attracts major music performances. There is a restored 1920s movie palace. The pulse of the downtown area is the Charlie Creek Inn, a fully restored hotel with an exceptional restaurant and lounge. Wabash is becoming an art center with several important art galleries. It is also the home of the Wabash county museum, the Ford Medical Museum and other tourist attractions. It is expected that The Museum of the Holy Shroud will become an additional focal point for guests to this historic city.
Hat tip to Russ Breault