Artist rubs out Meloni church fresco after controversy

The story began on Saturday when La Repubblica daily revealed that the face of a freshly-restored winged figure in the San Lorenzo in Lucina church closely resembled Meloni.

Meloni herself left a bemused comment on Instagram next to her supposed likeness, saying: "No, decidedly I do not resemble an angel."

The artist behind the restoration, Bruno Valentinetti, told La Repubblica that he had rubbed out her face on Tuesday night following a request by the Vatican administration.

Contacted by AFP, the Vatican did not immediately confirm this claim -- but an AFP reporter confirmed the likeness had been removed.

The restorer also told the paper that he had indeed painted the figure to resemble Meloni after initially denying it.

"Well, it really was Meloni but in the same style of the fresco that was there before," he told La Repubblica.

The church, located just a few metres from Meloni's office, has seen a large influx of curious onlookers in recent days.

Arianna de Gregoriis, 23, said she had come to see the Meloni fresco and was returning after reading the news that the face had been deleted.

She said she was "even more curious" and wanted to "come back and see it".

"I think putting the face of a political figure inside a place of worship like this one and more generally in a work of art is not a positive message," she said.

The agency in charge of cultural preservation in Rome said in a statement on Wednesday that authorisation "accompanied with a sketch of the image" would be required for any further restoration.

The agency, part of the Italian culture ministry, had ordered an inspection of the fresco on Saturday.