In the cloud in the middle of the fresco hides a demonic face. 

The Basilica of Saint Francis of as‌sisi in Italy is one of the most important churches in the world. The building, built in the 13th century, has a series of medieval frescoes and beautiful stained glass panels.

However, in reality, at the time the palace was built, there was a contentious issue, as some felt the unique artworks of the church were completely contrary to the deep belief in the power of the church. the spirituality of Saint Francis in the salvation of the poor.

Unfortunately, a major earthquake in 1997 caused significant damage to the church, which has been considered one of the pilgrimage sites for centuries. After this natural disaster it took a lot of time to repair and restore the sacred church.

During the restoration, frescoes were found marked with the letter GB. That leads historians to believe that the paintings are the work of the artist Giotto di Bondone.

Earlier there were also a number of frescoes in the church of Saint Nicholas believed to be the work of the artist Giotto, including "Madonna and child" and works depicting John the Baptist and Saint Francis of as‌sisi.

But since the earthquake hit as‌sisi and damaged the church, the building has been closed for repair and restored to its original state. Later, a more thorough examination led to the discovery of a secret inside the fresco that no one knew about during the 700 years this palace existed.

Panoramic painting of heaven by artist Giotto di Bondone is placed in the Basilica of St Francis in the town of as‌sisi, Italy.

According to the Telegraph, looking in the clouds, we can see the devil’s face. Previously, this face had not been discovered because it was hidden very well in the white cloud. That image was only discovered when the medievalist Chiara Frugoni, an expert on Saint Francis, conducted a study of the painting. 

An article on the art history of Saint Francis periodically quoted Ms. Frugoni as saying:  “It was a fierce portrait with a hooked nose, sunken eyes and two dark horns. The importance of images still needs to be studied further.”

To learn about the meaning of the demon face we need to go back to the Middle Ages, when it was believed that demons lived in the sky and they could hinder human souls from going to heaven. What makes this discovery all the more remarkable is that before the discovery of the painting, it was thought that the cloud-hidden imagery was first used in 1460, almost two centuries. afterward. Like the picture of Saint Sebastian, there is a knight riding a horse on a cloud.

Historians now know that this unique style of painting was actually first used by the artist Giotto. Later placing hidden images or symbols inside paintings became common during the Renaissance, especially in religious artworks expressing faith.

Pictures often carry many meanings that only after careful study does that meaning become more apparent.

Close-up of demon face. (Photo: YouTube)

Talking about painter Giotto, he is an Italian painter and architect. This character is also often considered one of the fathers of the Italian Renaissance. During his career, he painted frescoes in a number of churches and cathedrals in Italy.

Frescoes are paintings done on damp plaster. Specifically, the paint will be painted on the wet plaster and then become part of the plaster. This gives the murals lasting vitality over time. This is something that painting on a dry plaster base cannot achieve. Because at this time, the drawings are easy to crack or peel off over time.

Currently the artist Giotto is very famous for his portrait of Saint Francis. However, he is best known for initiating a major shift in the style of artists’ depiction of subjects, especially since medieval art before him was often strongly stylized.

It is the above description that helps his paintings possess very vivid colors. They are created from 2D painting style and do not use perspective style at all. From there, they made Giotto one of the first to break the old-fashioned trend of painting.

Instead he paints "from nature" and draws people into his paintings through his feelings of depth, subtle movement, and strong emotion.

It seems that Giotto was also the one who started a new artistic trend of his day by  hiding Satan’s image in the clouds.