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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Angela Giuffrida in Rome

Angel that looked like Giorgia Meloni removed from Rome church fresco

Giorgia Meloni Rome Vatican La Repubblica
Fresco with the face erased
The likeness to Giorgia Meloni prompted investigations by Italy’s culture ministry and the diocese of Rome. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

The face of a winged angel bearing a striking resemblance to the Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has been erased from a fresco in a historic Rome church, putting an end to a debacle that embarrassed the Vatican.

The image on the wall painting in a chapel of the Basilica of St Lawrence in Lucina in central Rome was removed overnight, leaving the cherub headless.

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