The aftermath of the Abruzzo earthquake has witnessed the miraculous survival of people beneath collapsed buildings - and even of a small black dog which scampered out of the ruins of a house on Easter Sunday after nearly a week under the debris.

But residents of Rocca di Cambio, a village high in the Gran Sasso mountains of Abruzzo 25 kilometres from L’Aquila, are celebrating the emergence of a more longstanding survivor: a long-lost 11th Century fresco depicting the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus.

“This is wonderful news at a time of so much destruction and sorrow,” Antonio Pace, the mayor of Rocca di Cambio, told The Times. “The appearance of the Madonna and Child is a sign of hope. Nothing short of a miracle.”

The fresco, in the church of San Pietro alla Collegiata at Rocca di Cambio - the highest of the Abruzzo mountain villages, at 1,500 metres above sea level - appeared when the earthquake which struck the region nearly two weeks ago shook the church, which lies at the top of the village, and the altar came away from wall.

“When we went in to check the damage we saw that the altar had moved, and behind the fallen plaster was the fresco,” Mr Pace said. “There was tremendous excitement, as you can imagine.”

He said the damaged fresco, which experts believe was painted by an unknown medieval master when the church was built, would be examined tomorrow by art conservationists from the Ministry of Culture in Rome.

Of Rocca di Cambio’s 416 inhabitants, 200 are second-home owners who ski at the nearby mountain resort of Campo Felice. The remaining 216 are being sheltered in tents in the grounds of the local hotel, which was also damaged. “It is freezing at night but at least we have hot water and electricity,” said Alessandro Marinangeli, who heads the village “Pro Loco” tourism and local history society.

The facade of the church, only recently restored, is cracked, and firemen are using a crane to make safe its 13th Century tower by encircling it with steel cables. In the forecourt the only object left standing is a plaque commemorating the fact that the church was used in the 1953 film The Return of Don Camillo, directed by Julien Duvivier and starring Fernandel.

Medieval frescoes attributed to the school of Giotto in the nearby Abbey of Santa Lucia have also suffered damage. Mr Marinangeli said that abundant snow had been a boon to skiers this year - “a blessing from God. Mr Pace said he hoped the “miraculous Madonna” would help to attract visitors and revive tourism.

He said there had been an earlier miracle at Rocca di Cambio in 1822, when another painting of the Virgin Mary, the Madonna del Rosario, appeared after a previous tremor. Art experts will examine that painting, which was restored in 2006, for signs of earthquake damage.