On Wednesday, the scientist presented her book "Mary Magdalene in Michelangelo's Judgement" in Rome.
Her research suggests that the blonde woman on the huge work of art kissing a wooden cross is the famous female figure from the Gospels: "The proximity to the cross, the yellow dress and the blonde hair, but also the entire context in which Michelangelo places this figure, testify to this."
Michelangelo was an experienced and extremely cultivated painter. "He was someone who had a very good overview of the dynamics of the church. He knew the Gospels and he could never have forgotten Mary Magdalene," continues Penco.
The "Last Judgement" is one of the most important works by Renaissance artist Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564). The fresco above the altar in the Sixitine Chapel was painted between 1537 and 1541.
Mary Magdalene, a disciple of Jesus, is honoured by the church as the "apostle to the apostles".
She is mentioned in the Gospels as a witness to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.
According to the Gospel of John, she was the first to encounter the resurrected Jesus. In 2016, Pope Francis upgraded the liturgical commemoration of the saintsby equating their day of remembrance with the feasts of the apostles.
The day of remembrance on 22 July, which had previously been observed, was upgraded to a feast in the liturgical calendar.