‘Da Vinci Code’ goes on trial

ROME – Art experts and conservative clerics are holding an unusual “trial” in Leonardo da Vinci’s hometown aimed at sorting fact from fiction in “The Da Vinci Code” after many readers took the smash hit novel as gospel truth.

The event in Vinci, just outside of Florence, began Friday with an opening statement by Alessandro Vezzosi, director of a Leonardo museum. He said he will produce photographs and documents as evidence of the mistakes and historical inaccuracies contained in Dan Brown’s best seller.

“Leonardo is misrepresented and belittled,” Vezzosi said in a telephone interview hours before the event began. “His importance is misunderstood. He was a man full of fantasy, inventions and genius.”

The novel’s contentious allegations – namely, that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and sired a bloodline – have provoked unprecedented protest among Roman Catholic and Protestant conservatives who claimed that Brown’s characters inaccurately malign Christianity.

Vezzosi said he will produce evidence through 120 photographs based on documents and paintings with the aim of “reassessing and disclaiming the author” of the mystical thriller, a mix of code-breaking, art history, secret societies, religion and lore.

Vezzosi said one example of the mistakes contained in the book is the statement that the Mona Lisa was made in Leonardo’s image.

“There’s a very big difference between Mona Lisa’s and Leonardo’s noses, mouths, eyes and expressions,” he said, adding that he will compare two portraits to prove it.

Brown has not said much in the past about the controversy surrounding the blockbuster book, but he told NBC’s “Today” in June 2003 that while the novel’s main character, Robert Langdon, is fictional, “all of the art, architecture, secret rituals, secret societies, all of that is historical fact.”

Organizers said there would be nobody speaking in the book’s defense and the “verdict” would be contained within the presentations of the speakers.

But that does not mean the book will be completely hung out to dry: Hundreds of fans were expected to attend the trial.

“This initiative has received a lot of interest with people calling to confirm their attendance,” Vezzosi said.