A centuries-old fresco in a Rome church has become the unlikely center of a political and artistic debate after an image resembling Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was intentionally incorporated into the artwork during a recent restoration. The altered fresco, depicting an angel in the Basilica of Saint Lawrence in Lucina, sparked immediate controversy and prompted a request from the Vatican to remove the prime minister’s likeness [[1]]. The incident raises questions about the boundaries of artistic expression, the role of cultural heritage in contemporary politics, and the potential for unintended consequences when the two intersect.
A centuries-old fresco in a Rome church has been altered to remove a face resembling Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, sparking a controversy that reached the Vatican. The incident highlights the intersection of art, religion, and politics in Italy, and has drawn attention to the potential for cultural works to become entangled in contemporary political discourse.
The face, part of a depiction of an angel, appeared after a recent restoration of the artwork in the chapel of the Basilica of Saint Lawrence in Lucina. The resemblance to Meloni was first noted Saturday by the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. Overnight, the angel’s head was removed, leaving the figure faceless.
Bruno Valentinetti, the amateur artist who restored the fresco, initially denied intentionally making the angel resemble Meloni, but later admitted it. “Yes, it’s the prime minister’s face,” he told La Repubblica. “But it also resembles the previous painting.” Valentinetti told the newspaper Wednesday that the Vatican had requested he remove the image. A Vatican spokesperson has not yet responded to requests for comment.
“Sacred Art Cannot Be Misused”
Daniele Micheletti, the basilica’s pastor, said he noticed “a certain resemblance” to Meloni, but maintained that his instructions to Valentinetti were clear: to restore the water-damaged image as closely as possible to its original form.
Since the story became public, the church has been flooded with visitors eager to see the altered artwork. “People were flocking here instead of attending Mass or praying,” Micheletti said. “That was unacceptable.”
Opposition politicians in Italy have seized on the scandal. Members of the Five Star Movement released a statement saying that art and culture should not be allowed to risk becoming “an instrument of propaganda or anything else, regardless of whether the face of the prime minister is depicted on the painting.” Meloni herself responded with humor, posting a picture of the fresco on her Instagram account with the caption: “Definitely don’t look like an angel” and a laughing emoji.
The altered image was originally completed in 2000 and is not protected by any preservation regulations. The resemblance to Meloni prompted investigations by the Italian Ministry of Culture and the Rome diocese, with Cardinal Baldo Reina, the vicar general of the diocese, expressing “bitterness” over the incident. “Images of sacred art and Christian tradition cannot be misused or exploited,” he said.
