US EditionI’m No Angel, Italy’s PM Says over Painting that Bears Her Resemblance
Investigations focus on whether the cherub’s Meloni-like face was intentional or part of the 2000 restoration amid concerns over political imagery in sacred art.
- On Monday, the Diocese of Rome and the Italian Culture Ministry launched investigations after photos showed a basilica cherub's face resembling Giorgia Meloni, with delegate Daniela Porro surveying the angel.
- The 2000 restoration added a bust of Umberto II and a cherub holding Italy's map, which now faces investigation after water infiltrations beginning in 2023, restorer Bruno Valentinetti said.
- The church, owned and maintained by the Interior Ministry, drew intense public attention on Monday as curiosity-seekers jammed it, disrupting Mass.
- The parish priest, Rev. Daniele Micheletti, acknowledged the resemblance but dismissed its significance, while the Diocese of Rome reiterated that sacred art cannot be misused, reflecting strong institutional pushback.
- Cultural historians note that artists have long used real models, but the cherub resembling Premier Giorgia Meloni raises political and artistic sensitivities in Italy's post-war context.
32 Articles
32 Articles
The Independent
Church angel painting ‘resembling Giorgia Meloni’ prompts investigation
A restored painting of an angel in a church in Rome that appears to resemble Italian leader Giorgia Meloni has left some giggling and others up in arms. The row began when an Italian newspaper pointed out that a reconstructed artwork on the wall of the San Lorenzo Lucina chapel looked like the prime minister. Ms Meloni has brushed off the comparisons, writing: "No, I definitely do not resemble an angel.” The restorer told local media he had no i…
The Diocese of Rome and the Italian Ministry of Culture have launched an investigation into the recent renovation of the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina after a restorer reshaped the face of one of the angels with features strikingly similar to those of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The angel could (re) change the connotations. Or rather, restore the old angelic physiognomy. Miracles of art? Not so much. Rather a race to repair interventions that do not...
Chicago Tribune
Independent EspañolBy NICOLE WINFIELD and TRISHA THOMAS ROME (AP) — There is a long tradition of painters depicting real people in their religious art, but the appearance of a cherub bearing a striking resemblance to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a Rome church has sparked a minor scandal for both the church and the Italian government. The Diocese of Rome and Italy’s Culture Ministry announced separate investigations into recent renovations at the Basilica of Sa…
Daily Record
In Italy, church and state investigate the appearance of a cherub seemingly modeled on Meloni
The appearance in a Roman church of a cherub that bears a striking resemblance to Premier Giorgia Meloni has sparked a minor scandal for both church and state in Italy. The diocese of Rome and the Italian Culture Ministry both…
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