The life of St Benedict, in a series of Renaissance frescoes around the cloister of Monte Oliveto Maggiore in Tuscany, reflects not only the legends of the “Life” but the way people believed and imagined the world in the era in which they were painted. Our stories explaining the world reveal ourselves to ourselves and also to future generations who come to see things about us that might enlighten us.In one of the frescoes, now behind a railing provided to protect it from tourists, there are signs of theological vandalism. A flying demon, horned, fanged, black winged and malevolent is depicted flying over the heads of some innocent-looking monks. To protect the monks and to express anger at the devil’s influence in their own lives, medieval pilgrims had tried to scratch o