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Riccardo De Luca/Anadolu via Getty Images
Now you see it, now you don't - the angel on the right is left with no face at all
The face of an angel on a restored church fresco in Rome that sparked outrage because of its likeness to Italy's prime minister, has been crudely scrubbed out by the artist who painted it.
Church and government officials launched an investigation after pictures of a cherub at the Basilica of St Lawrence in Lucina showed her newly restored face had an uncanny likeness to right-wing leader, Giorgia Meloni.
The artist, Bruno Valentinetti, at first denied the claims, but on Wednesday he admitted that it was indeed the prime minister's face. He insisted that it was similar to the original, however.
Valentinetti, 83, told la Repubblica that he was ordered to cover up the painting by the Vatican.
The original facial features will now be restored, the office of the Diocese of Rome said on Wednesday, following a strongly worded statement from Rome's Cardinal Baldassare Reina.
Expressing his "disappointment over what happened", Reina said "images of sacred art and Christian tradition cannot be misused or exploited".
The Basilica of St Lawrence, which is a five minute walk from Meloni's office in the heart of Rome, has seen an influx of curious visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of the now-infamous fresco.
"There was a procession of people who came to see it and take selfies, not to pray," the basilica's priest, Rev. Daniele Michelett, told Ansa news agency.
Michelett said he had not noticed the resemblance to the prime minister when he first saw the restoration work, but agreed that it did not "conform to the original iconography and sacred context" of the church.
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Giorgia Meloni responded in a post on Instagram saying she was "definitely not like an angel", accompanied by a laughing emoji
The Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina is one of Rome's oldest churches and features artwork by Baroque masters Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Guido Reni.
However the fresco at the centre of this controversy was not old - it was painted in 2000 and was not heritage protected.
The wall painting is located in a chapel dedicated to Italy's last king, Umberto II, and shows the cherub holding a map of Italy.
Bruno Valentinetti was the original artist, and had been asked to restore the artwork after water damage, Micheletti said.
The government agency in charge of preserving Rome's cultural sites has now informed the church that any further restoration work would require authorisation and a sketch of the proposed image.
The BBC has contacted the Vatican for comment.
