A restored angel in a Rome basilica has prompted political scrutiny after reports that its face now resembles Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
La Repubblica placed the story on its front page, pointing to before and after images that showed the angel, once a "generic cherub", bearing what it described as a clear likeness to Meloni.
The observation set off a rapid chain of reactions across Italy's cultural and political spheres.
The culture ministry said it had ordered Rome's top art heritage official to inspect the painting the same day before "deciding what to do next".
The issue quickly widened when the Five Star Movement argued that "we cannot allow art and culture to risk becoming a tool for propaganda or anything else, regardless of whether the face depicted is that of the prime minister".
Parish priest Daniele Micheletti said the decorations were retouched after water damage and stressed that the works, created in 2000, were not under heritage protection.
The restorer, Bruno Valentinetti, who painted the originals, dismissed the idea of political intent and said, "I restored what was there before... 25 years ago".
Meloni herself kept the tone light. She posted the image on Instagram with the line, "No, I definitely don't look like an angel", choosing humour while the inquiry moves ahead.
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A Rome church has painted over an angel that had been restored to resemble Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, after the image triggered political and clerical criticism.
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