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ROME (AP) — There is a long tradition of painters depicting real people in their religious art, but 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 launched investigations into the recent renovations at the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina, after photographs of the Meloni-esque cherub were published in Italian newspapers this weekend. Their swift and harsh reactions indicated little tolerance for the profane in a sacred place.
The ruckus has given the basilica, already well known as one of the oldest churches in Rome, newfound celebrity status. It was jammed on Sunday and Monday with curiosity-seekers straining to photograph the angel in a side chapel up near the front altar, at times disrupting Mass.
Meloni, for her part, tried to tamp down the outcry and make light of it.
“No, I definitely don’t look like an angel,” Meloni wrote on social media with a laughing/crying emoji alongside a photo of the work.
press room at the Lower Chamber, in Rome, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)” fetchpriority=”high” width=”599″ height=”399″ src=”https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/5c69b62/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5616×3744+0+0/resize/599×399!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F98%2F63%2Fdaccb2212c07bf8346d6b449bcb3%2F5a7f75e4ccd94a8b8f752db47d38b014″ loading=”lazy”/>
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni holds her annual start-of-the-year press conference in the press room at the Lower Chamber, in Rome, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni holds her annual start-of-the-year press conference in the press room at the Lower Chamber, in Rome, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
The basilica is located on one of Rome’s fanciest piazzas just down the block from 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, after a recent restoration, appears modeled on Meloni’s. It is problematic because the cherub appears in a position of deference to the king. Italians rejected the monarchy after World War II because of its support for Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini; Meloni’s right-wing party has its roots in the neo-fascist party that succeeded Mussolini.
The cherub was restored after water infiltrations damaged the basilica starting in 2023. The parish priest, the Rev. Daniele Micheletti, acknowledged the resemblance to Meloni but dismissed the significance, noting that plenty of artists depicted real life people in their works.
People take pictures at a restored fresco to the memory of late Italy’s King Umberto II depicting Angels inside the Basilica of St. Lawrence in Lucina in Rome, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
People take pictures at a restored fresco to the memory of late Italy’s King Umberto II depicting Angels inside the Basilica of St.