A French priest has gone on trial for destroying a fresco in his village chapel on the grounds it depicted Saint Luke as an ox with testicles.

The village of Saint Etienne du Gres, near the southern city of Avignon, commissioned a fresco of the Four Evangelists for the choir of its 11th-century Roman chapel.

The fresco depicted Mark as a lion, John as an eagle, Luke as an ox and Matthew as an angel.

But parish priest Michel Cicculo took deep offence at painter Jacques Descordes' depiction of the bull's testicles, and of the angel as a woman with small, nude breasts, and in February 2006 he destroyed the entire work with a rock hammer.

Cicculo, who faces two years in jail and a 30,000 Euro ($47,100) fine for destruction of property, defended his act in court.

"No-one has the right to paint such horrors in a fresco," he said.