New research claims the Shroud of Turin is stained with the blood of a torture victim, supporting the theory that it was used to bury Jesus. The Shroud of Turin in a linen cloth, three meters in length, that bears an image of a man some believe to be Jesus Christ. The cloth is thought by many to have been used to wrap Christ’s body after His crucifixion.

The new research, carried out by various institutions under Italy’s National Research Council and published in the US scientific journal Plos One, contradicts the theory that Jesus’ face was painted onto the cloth by forgers in medieval times.

Elvio Carlino, who led the research at the Institute of Crystallography in Bari, Italy, says the cloth contains nanoparticles of creatinine bounded with small nanoparticles of iron oxide, which indicate severe trauma rather than paint.