In brief
In a bizarre twist of events, a renovated fresco at the Basilica of St Lawrence in Lucina, Rome, which closely resembled Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, had its facial features erased by the artist, Bruno Valentinetti. Initially denying the likeness, Valentinetti later acknowledged it and removed the features upon Vatican orders. After backlash from church officials, the Diocese of Rome assured restoration of the original features. The incident has attracted considerable public interest, with many visitors flocking to the basilica to see the controversial artwork.
The face of an angel on a restored church fresco in Rome that sparked outrage because of its likeness to Italy's prime minister, has been crudely scrubbed out by the artist who painted it. Church and government officials launched an investigation after pictures of a cherub at the Basilica of St Lawrence in Lucina showed her newly restored face had an uncanny likeness to right-wing leader, Giorgia Meloni.The artist, Bruno Valentinetti, at first denied the claims, but on Wednesday he admitted that it was indeed the prime minister's face. He insisted that it was similar to the original, however. Valentinetti, 83, told la Repubblica that he was ordered to cover up the painting by the Vatican. The original facial features will now be restored, the office of the Diocese of Rome said on Wednesday, following a strongly worded statement from Rome's Cardinal Baldassare Reina.Expressing his disappointment over what happened, Reina said images of sacred art and Christian tradition cannot be misused or exploited. The Basilica of St Lawrence, which is a five-minute walk from Meloni's office in the heart of Rome, has seen an influx of curious visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of the now-infamous fresco.There was a procession of people who came to see it and take selfies, not to pray, the basilica's priest, Rev. Daniele Michelett, told Ansa news agency. Michelett said he had not noticed the resemblance to the prime minister when he first saw the restoration work, but agreed that it did not conform to the original iconography and sacred context of the church.The Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina is one of Rome's oldest churches and features artwork by Baroque masters Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Guido Reni. However, the fresco at the center of this controversy was not old; it was painted in 2000 and was not heritage protected. The wall painting is located in a chapel dedicated to Italy's last king, Umberto II, and shows the cherub holding a map of Italy.Bruno Valentinetti was the original artist and had been asked to restore the artwork after water damage, Michelett said. The government agency in charge of preserving Rome's cultural sites has now informed the church that any further restoration work will require authorisation and a sketch of the proposed image. The BBC has contacted the Vatican for comment.
