Bones found in Italian church 'belong to Caravaggio'

London, June 17 (ANI): Italian researchers have come across bones of a human in a Tuscany church that they believe mostly belong to Renaissance artist Caravaggio.

The remains were found in an ossuary in a church crypt in Porto Ercole and the researchers used DNA and carbon dating for their findings, reports the BBC.

Caravaggio was known for his "chiaroscuro" painting technique. The method, in which light and shadow are sharply contrasted, revolutionised painting.

The cause of his death had been a mystery, with various theories put forward, including that he was assassinated for religious reasons, and that he collapsed with malaria on a deserted beach. Some have said he was on his way to Rome to seek a pardon when he died.

The findings come after a year's investigation using DNA, carbon dating and other analysis. The remains are believed to have lain originally in an unmarked grave among around 200 others at the church cemetery, until they were exhumed in 1956 and placed in the ossuary.

Caravaggio was born in either 1571 or 1573, according to varying scholars, and spent the last few years of his life fleeing justice in southern Italy. He was famed for his wild lifestyle, including starting fights and ending up in jail. (ANI)