ROME — An attacker wielding a statuette of the Milan cathedral struck Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in the face following a rally in Milan on Sunday, and hospital officials said the blow fractured his nose, sliced his lip and broke two teeth.

Bodyguards helped Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, stunned and bloodied, into a car following an attack Sunday in Milan.

Television images showed bodyguards helping a stunned and bloodied prime minister into a car after the attack, which came as he greeted supporters after delivering a rousing speech to a rally of his center-right People of Liberties Party in central Milan.

The police detained a Milan resident identified as Massimo Tartaglia, 42, who has a history of mental illness, Italian news media reported. A prosecutor was questioning Mr. Tartaglia and a formal arrest was expected.

From the San Raffaele hospital, where Mr. Berlusconi, 73, was kept overnight for observation, he said, “I’m fine, I’m fine,” the ANSA news agency reported, adding that he considered it “a miracle” that his eyes were spared by the statuette-turned-weapon. Italian news reports said the statuette was made of heavy ceramic or metal.

The prime minister was “shaken and disheartened” when he arrived at the hospital, said Paolo Klun, a hospital spokesman.

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