By Euronews
Published on
Both church and state in Italy are investigating the restoration of a cherub in a Roman church that bears a striking resemblance to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The diocese of Rome and the Italian culture ministry have launched separate probes into the recent renovations at the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina, in central Rome, after photos of the Meloni-esque cherub were published in Italian newspapers this weekend.
“Before the restoration, there was a generic cherub,” wrote the newspaper La Repubblica, which first reported on the resemblance. “Today, it is the face of the most powerful woman in the country.”
The controversy has thrust the basilica — already well known as one of Rome’s oldest churches — into the spotlight. Visitors have flocked to take photos of the angel located in a side chapel near the main altar, at times even disrupting Mass.
While some politicians have criticised the renovation, Meloni seemed to make light of the affair on social media.
“No, I definitely don’t look like an angel,” she wrote in an Instagram post, accompanied by a laughing emoji and a photo of the artwork.
Over the weekend, Italy’s culture ministry said it had sent a special delegate and officials to the basilica to survey the angel and “decide what to do”.
The vicar of Rome, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, expressed “disappointment” over the incident and announced an investigation to determine who was responsible.
“It is firmly reiterated that images of sacred art and Christian tradition cannot be misused or exploited, as they are intended exclusively to support liturgical life and personal and communal prayer,” the diocese said a statement.
The opposition Five Star Movement said that art and culture must not become “a tool for propaganda or anything else, regardless of whether the face depicted is that of the prime minister.”
The restorer, Bruno Valentinetti, has denied using Meloni as a model in his work.
In interviews with Italian media, Valentinetti said the prime minister was in the eye of the beholder and that he merely restored the original painting, which he created in 2000.
The investigations are looking to determine what the original cherub looked like, according to reports.
Additional sources • AP