An Italian scholar says Mona Lisa depicted in the world famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci was buried in Florence, Ansa news agency reported.
Giuseppe Pallantini claims to have found the exact location of the Mona Lisa's remains on the basis of old documents from a Florentine archive.
According to sources, Lisa Gherardini, as Leonardo's model was called in real life, was buried in the convent of Sant'Orsola at the heart of the Tuscan metropolis. The building is now abandoned and derelict.
Da Vinci's model was the wife of Florentine tradesman Francesco del Giocondo and, according to the research, died in 1542 at the age of 63.
The study had proven conclusively for the first time that Mona Lisa really existed, the reports claimed Thursday.
The oil painting, which only measures 76.8 by 53 cm, was probably created between 1503 and 1505. It is now exhibited at the Louvre in Paris.