The Shroud is about 14 feet 3 inches long by 3 feet 7 inches wide, consisting of a single piece of fine [[linen]] cloth made from fibers of the flax plant (''Linum usitatisismum''), and woven in a 3-over-1 herringbone twill.<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3624753.stm]</ref> Centered on the cloth is the front and back images of a man who is pictured as if in a burial repose; the man's estimated height is somewhere between 5'8" to 6'1".<ref>[http://www.shroudofturin4journalists.com/Details/howtall2.htm]</ref> He is rather powerfully-built, with classical eastern Mediterranean features. The images of the feet are at both ends of the cloth, indicating that if it was a burial linen the body was placed on one end with the other end bought over the head to cover the body. On either side of the image is a series of triangular patches, covering much of the damage from a fire which took place in 1532. | The Shroud is about 14 feet 3 inches long by 3 feet 7 inches wide, consisting of a single piece of fine [[linen]] cloth made from fibers of the flax plant (''Linum usitatisismum''), and woven in a 3-over-1 herringbone twill.<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3624753.stm]</ref> Centered on the cloth is the front and back images of a man who is pictured as if in a burial repose; the man's estimated height is somewhere between 5'8" to 6'1".<ref>[http://www.shroudofturin4journalists.com/Details/howtall2.htm]</ref> He is rather powerfully-built, with classical eastern Mediterranean features. The images of the feet are at both ends of the cloth, indicating that if it was a burial linen the body was placed on one end with the other end bought over the head to cover the body. On either side of the image is a series of triangular patches, covering much of the damage from a fire which took place in 1532. |