A fresco attributed to 18th-century Italian painter Giandomenico Tiepolo has been discovered during the restoration of a church in Venice. The work, measuring 11.8 feet by 5.25 feet, is painted on a moon-shaped lunette behind the main altar of the Santa Maria Maddalena church and was found about three months ago, said Ilaria Cavaggioni, an architect who made the discovery while supervising restoration works in the church.

A research of archive documentation has led experts to believe that the fresco - attributed to Tiepolo, son of the better-known painter Giambattista Tiepolo - is one known as "La Fede" ("The Faith") dating back to 1794, Cavaggioni said Tuesday.

"Technical tests on the lunette had shown traces of red and a halo," Cavaggioni said. "When we removed most of the paint layers that were on the wall, decorations, including the face of a Madonna have appeared."

The red monochromatic fresco portrays a Madonna with a cross in her right hand and a goblet in her left. Near her are two figures whose details are still unclear, Cavaggioni said.