Besançon
Besançon,
today, is a large city in eastern France near the border of Switzerland. It
has a population of over 200,000.
Besançon figures prominently in the history of the Shroud of Turin. Many historians believe that the shroud is brought from Athens to this city sometime between 1207 and 1219. There is ample evidence to suggest that the shroud was kept at the Chateau de Ray sur Saône manor house and was periodically displayed in the city's Cathedral of Saint Etienne, particularly, at Eastertide.