Restorer removes Meloni likeness from angel fresco, on orders from church authorities, after crowds flock to Rome basilica.
A restored fresco of an angel bearing the likeness of Italian premier Giorgia Meloni has been erased from the walls of a landmark church in Rome after days of controversy.
On Wednesday morning, visitors to Rome’s Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina were met with a blank space where the “Meloni angel” once could be seen, in an unceremonious conclusion to a saga that gripped Rome since Saturday.
The “restoration of the restoration” was carried out overnight by the original restorer, Bruno Valentinetti, who reportedly acted on instructions from church authorities to end a scandal that had transformed the historic basilica into a viral tourist attraction.
The controversy began last Saturday when La Repubblica newspaper published a story featuring before-and-after photos of a cherub in a side chapel of the fifth-century church in the centre of Rome.
The chapel, which houses a monument to Italy’s last king, Umberto II, had recently undergone restoration by Valentinetti, an 80-year-old volunteer decorator and sacristan at the church.
While the original 2000 version of the fresco depicted a generic cherub, the newly restored version featured an angel with facial features that were unmistakably those of Giorgia Meloni.
The face of a restored fresco of an angel which bore a striking resemblance to Italian premier Giorgia Meloni has been erased after days of controversy in Rome. pic.twitter.com/P5iOaJMsa8
— Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) February 4, 2026
The discovery sparked a national debate, with opposition parties condemning the work as “unacceptable propaganda” and a violation of the cultural heritage code.
Meloni herself poked fun at the situation on Instagram, posting a photo of the angel with the caption: “No, I definitely don’t look like an angel,” accompanied by a laughing emoji.
Both the diocese of Rome and the Italian culture ministry launched investigations into whether the “restoration” was an unauthorised alteration of a protected site, as crowds flocked to see the fresco.
However by Wednesday the face had been obliterated into a grey blur, while the rest of the fresco, including the body of the angel, remain intact.
Valentinetti admitted to La Repubblica that he was the one who covered the face. Although he had initially denied the resemblance – claiming he had simply followed the original 25-year-old lines – he eventually conceded that he had “styled” the angel after Meloni.
Why the face was removed
The decision to “cancel” the angel was driven by a mix of theological and practical concerns:
Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the Pope’s vicar for Rome, stated firmly that political figures have no place in sacred art, regardless of their popularity.
The parish priest, Monsignor Daniele Micheletti, noted that the church had been overrun by crowds of curious tourists and TikTokers.
“People were coming to see the ‘Meloni Chapel’ rather than to pray or attend Mass,” he remarked, noting the situation had become “unmanageable.”
If the basilica plans to repaint the angel face, it will require prior authorisation from the interior ministry which owns the church, the diocese of Rome which operates it and the culture ministry’s special superintendency for Rome. It will also need to provide a sketch for the angel’s face.
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