The Vatican intends to restore the original appearance of a fresco depicting an angel in the Roman church of San Lorenzo in Lucina, which, after restoration, resembled Italian Prime Minister Giorgi Meloni, according to the newspaper Repubblica.
The initiative to restore the work to its original appearance was put forward by the parish priest, Monsignor Daniele Micheletti. It is noted that two angels, one of which resembles Meloni, surround a bust of King Umberto II of Savoy; their images were created in 2000. Since this image is modern, it does not fall under the category of protected cultural heritage, the article states.
It is also noted that, at the initiative of Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giulio, archival research is currently underway on the documentation for the decoration of the Chapel of the Crucifixion, where this work was created in 2000.
According to the newspaper, a non-professional specialist is carrying out the latest restoration; the work was completed in late 2025. The angel acquired Meloni’s facial features back in December, but the scandal surrounding the image erupted last week.
The bust of King Umberto II of Savoy, who reigned for just a month after World War II, before the monarchy was abolished in Italy by referendum, was installed by decision of the church’s rector, Don Pietro Pintus, in 1985, two years after the king’s death. In 2000, angels were added around the bust, one of which holds a scroll depicting Italy and now evokes associations with Meloni.
It was previously reported that the resemblance of the angel’s face in the fresco in the Church of San Lorenzo in Lucina in Rome to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni sparked interest from both the capital’s diocese and the Ministry of Culture.
