12 April 1204
Events:
- Crusaders storm into Constantinople, destroying buildings and plundering church treasuries. In the confusion, the Mandylion/Sydoine disappears: and none of the Greeks or French knew what happened to it (Robert de Clari).
- A historical gap during which many relics looted in Constantinople appear in Western churches and monasteries. Alleged 'Mandylions’ appear in Rome, Genoa and Paris; however, in no case do we have a clear claim to recognise these copies as originals.
- Hypothesis: the cloth, still folded and framed so that only the face is visible, gets into the hands of the rich and powerful Order of the Knights Templar. According to a rumour from the late 13th century, the Templars worshipped a mysterious 'idol’ in the form of the head of a man with a reddish beard during secret chapter meetings. If this hypothesis is correct, the cloth is most likely first stored in the Templar treasury in Acre (Holy Land).
Comment:
The cloth is brought from Constantinople.
From literary descriptions and from a Templar-related copy found in England, it appears that the cloth is still stored in the frame, with only the face visible.