I’m no angel, jokes Meloni, as probes launched into church cherub resembling PM

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 have both announced investigations into the recent renovations at the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina, after photographs of the cherub were published in Italian newspapers.

Their swift and harsh reactions indicated little tolerance for the profane in a sacred place.

The row has given the basilica, already well known as one of the oldest churches in Rome, newfound celebrity status.

It was full on Sunday and Monday with curiosity-seekers straining to photograph the angel in a side chapel near the front altar, at times disrupting Mass.

Ms Meloni, for her part, tried to make light of the incident

“No, I definitely don’t look like an angel,” Ms Meloni wrote on social media with a laughing/crying emoji alongside a photo of the work.

The basilica is located on a piazza close to the Spanish Steps. It was consecrated in 440 by Pope Sixtus III and subsequently enlarged and rebuilt. It is now the property of the Interior Ministry, which is responsible for its upkeep.

In 2000, one of the front chapels was renovated to include a bust of the last king of Italy, Umberto II. Included in the decoration was a cherub holding a map of Italy, seemingly kneeling down before the king.

That figure is now under scrutiny since the cherub’s face appears modelled on ms Meloni’s.

It is problematic because the cherub appears in a position of deference to the king. Italians rejected the monarchy after the Second World War because of its support for fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.

The cherub was restored after water damaged the basilica, starting in 2023. The parish priest, the Rev Daniele Micheletti, acknowledged the resemblance to Ms Meloni but dismissed the significance, noting that plenty of artists depicted real life people in their works.

Over the weekend, the Culture Ministry sent a special delegate, Daniela Porro, and ministry officials to the basilica to survey the angel. Their aim, according to a ministry statement, was to “ascertain the nature of the work” and “decide what to do”.

The restorer, for his part, has denied wrongdoing and denied he used Ms Meloni as a model. In interviews with Italian media, Bruno Valentinetti said Ms Meloni was in the eye of the beholder and that he merely restored the original painting, which he himself had made in 2000.

The investigations are looking to determine what the original 2000 cherub looked like.