An interactive museum dedicated to the Shroud of Turin, which some say was Jesus’ burial cloth, opens its doors to the public Wednesday at the Christ Cathedral campus in Southern California.

“The Shroud of Turin: An Immersive Experience,” a $5-million exhibit in Garden Grove featuring 360-degree projection room theaters, Shroud of Turin replicas, interactive kiosks, and a life-size sculpture of Christ, was conceived over a span of three years and funded through private donations.

The content was created primarily by Othonia, Inc., a Rome-based group dedicated to the examination of the shroud, one of the most studied artifacts in history. The original — a 14-foot-long, 3.5-foot-wide (4.3-meter-long, 1 meter-wide) cloth — is kept in a bulletproof, climate-controlled case housed in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy.

The California museum — covering 10,000 square feet (930 square meters) — contains a life-size laminated visual of the shroud stretched over a wall. It shows the faint image of a man with wounds similar to those of Christ.

The Rev. Robert Spitzer, founder of the Magis Center, a nonprofit that uses science to defend the Catholic faith, says that he does not need a relic to explain his faith because that comes from his belief in Scripture and Christ’s resurrection, but adds that "it doesn't hurt."

Nora Creech, director of Othonia in the U.S., said the Rome-based organization was founded by the Rev. Hector Guerra, who dreamed of creating 100 exhibits globally. He built the first flagship exhibit in Jerusalem and others in Rome, Poland, Mexico and the U.S. This latest one is the first to feature an immersive experience, which was created by a California-based studio.

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