Angel-Meloni deleted. Restorer admits: it was the premier's face

The face of the angel Meloni is no longer visible in the fresco in the Chapel of the Crucifix in the Church of San Lorenzo in Lucina, Rome. The removal took place in the evening of yesterday, February 3, and was carried out by restorer Bruno Valentinetti, who in previous days had denied any direct reference to the prime minister. Later, the same restorer reported, as La Repubblica reports, that he had proceeded to delete the image on the instructions of the ecclesiastical authorities, specifying that he did not attach any particular importance to the matter.

After denying for three days and until a few hours earlier the identification of the face, Valentinetti later admitted that theimage was traceable to Meloni, explaining, however, that the intervention was inspired by a figure already present in the original painting. As a result of the incident, the newspaper reported, they are now moving toward restoring the previous image. The Special Superintendency of Rome, on the instructions of Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli, immediately took action by initiating archival research to locate photographic documentation or design drawings related to the original painting in the Chapel of the Crucifix, made in 2000. The checks are aimed at enabling a comparison between the original work and the current decoration, the result of the restoration work completed in 2025.

In the communication sent to the Superintendence before the work began, it was specified that the iconography and decorative style would remain unchanged. According to reports, this indication was not respected. After the news spread, Cardinal Baldo Reina reiterated in a note that images of sacred art and Christian tradition cannot be subject to misuse or instrumentalization, as they are intended exclusively to support liturgical life. This stance resulted in the direct intervention of the Curia.

Subsequent conversations, phone calls and meetings between the Superintendency, the Fondo edifici di culto, owner of the property, the Office for Worship Buildings of the Vicariate of Rome and the parish priest of San Lorenzo in Lucina, Monsignor Daniele Micheletti, led to the decision to remove the face from the painting. The parish priest reported that the decision was made after a discussion with Cardinal Reina, clarifying that while there were no regulatory impediments to the image remaining even for a long period, the intervention had generated divisions within the church community.

Angel-Meloni deleted. Restorer admits: it was the premier's face

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