Devil's face found in Italian Basilica

The face of the devil was found in a fresco by Italy's legendary renaissance master Giotto.

The devil's profile was found in the fresco's clouds high up in the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi, the BBC reports. The fresco was created in the 13^th century.

Chiara Frugoni, an Italian art historian, found the image in the clouds of the scene devoted to the death of St. Francis. It is hard to see the face from the ground, but the image is clearly seen on zoomed photographs.

Giotto could have pictured the devil as a joke. He could have painted the devil as someone whom the artist disliked in real life.

The restoration works in the Basilica began after the damage that was caused as a result of the earthquake in 1997.

Giotto di Bondone began to work in the Basilica in 1288. One of the finest Early Renaissance artists was working alone. He created 28 frescos in a record-short period of time - two years. However, about one-fifth of his frescos have been lost.