Giorgia Meloni has appeared as a little angel in a well-known and very ancient baroque basilica in the center of Rome, San Lorenzo in Lucina, whose origin dates back to the 4th century and is very close to Parliament. After the restoration of the paintings in a chapel, that of the holy souls, a cherub that has the face of the prime minister and far-right leader is displayed.
The figure holds a scroll with the map of Italy and is one of the two angels who watch over a marble bust of Umberto II, the last and fleeting king of Italy in 1946, a funerary monument of the monarch on which the inscription reads “Christianly resigned to the divine will.” The newspaper has discovered it The Republic in its edition this Saturday, with a photo of the painting that shows a very reasonable resemblance. In a few hours the matter has only gotten better. At midday, Meloni herself took it as a joke on Instagram, with a laughing emoticon: “No, I certainly don’t look like an angel.”
Early in the morning the author, who is not hiding because he signed the restoration, had already spoken: “Instauratum et exornatum. Bruno Valentinetti. AD MMXXV”. Approached by the newspaper when the church opened at eight in the morning, Valentinetti, 83, introduces himself as sacristan and craftsman of the parish. He confirms that he is the amateur painter who was commissioned to do the work. However, he says that the little angel is not Meloni, that he has never voted for her and, what’s more, that he is not even right-wing. However, the newspaper has pointed out that perhaps he shares her ideology, given that in 2008 It was on the lists of the neo-fascist party Fiamma Tricolore “I don’t know. It must have been without consulting me,” the artist responded.
Rome, in the basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina, one of the angels sculpted next to the bust of Umberto II of Savoy has recently had his face retouched and now appears with features reminiscent of those of Giorgia Meloni. The intervention — signed by a volunteer identified as… pic.twitter.com/kmI2vqaOYJ
— Ultimara.net (@ultimoranet) January 31, 2026
Then the parish priest, Daniele Micheletti, intervened, implying that he had no idea about the matter and now found out: “I read it in the newspaper and went to look immediately. It also seems like Giorgia Meloni to me.” But, in addition to ensuring that the intervention, because it is a modern work, did not require the approval of the strict Superintendency of Cultural Assets in Rome, he sees nothing wrong with it: “They are the souls that are in purgatory. By this I do not mean that Meloni is in purgatory, nor that she is a saint.”
At noon the painting had already become a political discussion, and sources from the diocese of Rome, whose bishop is the Pope himself, have expressed their “stupor” to the Ansa agency and point out that there are no precedents in memory.
The PD, the main opposition party, has declared the work “unacceptable” and points out that it may represent a violation of the rules that regulate heritage, which is why it has requested the immediate intervention of the Ministry of Culture. The left and green party, AVS, has announced a parliamentary question on the matter: “It is a cult of personality such as has not been seen since the times of fascism.”
For its part, Brothers of Italy, Meloni’s party, has reacted to the opposition’s criticism by calling it a “mystical delirium.” He assures that they are so obsessed with the prime minister that they see her everywhere.
The parish priest of the basilica has also tried to downplay the controversy. “Everyone is inspired by whoever they want. It was a chapel full of humidity, and I had it fixed. If it becomes a scandal, I will have it removed, if public opinion is outraged. But I have to wait for the next elections to see what public opinion thinks. But even Caravaggio made paintings that the public did not want,” the priest argues. “This does not mean that we are Melonians. Perhaps we are, but we do not say it. In the church there is also the bust of Humbert II, does that mean that we are monarchists?”
The truth is that before the restoration the curious cherub had an anonymous face, says the Roman newspaper, although the author of the new work denies it: “I have only copied the one that existed before. Ask why Meloni looks like the one who made this drawing 25 years ago.” This sacristan is a volunteer who has lived in the parish building for eight years and says that he made the paintings for free as a thank you for the hospitality received.
Valentinetti has reported that in the past he even worked for former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi: “I did some restoration work in his villa in Macherio, where Verónica Lario lived. A princess recommended me. Berlusconi came by helicopter from time to time. He was satisfied with the result. I restored a floral work.”