Santa Maria delle Grazie is an active Dominican monastery church in the center of Milan. It was built in the 15th century and is an outstanding architectural monument. It is included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. Santa Maria delle Grazie has long been a landmark in Milan, along with other famous buildings, which many tourists come to see every day. The history of the late Gothic church begins in 1463, when Count Vimercati donated a plot of land to the Dominican Order, who decided to build their own church on this site. In 1490, Duke Ludovico Sforza decided to turn the church into a morgue and invited Donato Bramante as architect. Bramante completely changed the architecture, reworked the details, in particular the dome of the cathedral, and designed the main stand in the Renaissance style. The courtyard was spacious, bright and abundantly green, with a small pool in the center.
After the construction was completed, a battle broke out between wealthy Milanese clans for the right to bury their family members here. In 1980, the church was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site - a first for Italy.
The temple is built of red brick, the facade is covered with light marble. The red wall of the facade depicts the coat of arms of the Sforza family. Under the arch you can see the fresco “Adoration of the Shepherds”. There are seven chapels on both sides of the church.
The decree of the Duke of Milan was associated with the death of his 22-year-old wife. The Duke's wife was buried in the basilica, in a white marble sarcophagus with life-size figures of both spouses.
In the temple you will see various frescoes created by famous masters, for example, Donato Montorfano created the “Crucifixion” fresco. In the Chapel of St. Catharine there are statues of Antonello and Messina, and elsewhere there are frescoes by Godencio Ferrari and Bramantino. From the arcade of the church you will enter the ancient chapel of Delle Grazie.
The main attraction of Chiesa e Convento Domenicano di Santa Maria delle Grazie (this is the full name of the cathedral) is one of the most famous frescoes in the world "The Last Supper" by the famous Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. The fresco was created in 1495-1498. It depicts the Last Supper of Jesus Christ and his disciples. The dimensions of the painting are 460х880 cm.
When creating the painting, the most difficult thing for Leonardo was to find models of good (Jesus) and evil (Judas). There is a legend about how the artist found them. One day he attended a church choir performance and saw the miraculous face of Jesus in one of the singers. He invited the boy to his workshop and made sketches. Three years later, The Last Supper was almost finished - Leonardo could not find a suitable model for Judas. One day he saw a drunken young man in tattered clothes lying in a roadside ditch, and at the request of da Vinci, the limp body of the man was taken to the temple and the master began to draw the sin imprinted on his face. When he finished his work, the beggar came to his senses, saw the picture and screamed in fear. It turned out that he had already seen this - three years ago. Then the young and dreamy artist was asked to paint the face of Jesus. Later everything changed and he fell to the bottom of life. Perhaps this legend tells us that good and evil are two sides of the same coin and that everything in life depends on the moment at which they meet on our path.
Address of Santa Maria delle Grazie: Piazza di Santa Maria delle Grazie.
The church is open to tourists every day - 09:00-12:00, 16:00-17:55.
Entrance to the grounds of Santa Maria delle Grazie is free, but you will have to buy a ticket to enter the refectory, since it is a state museum. You need to buy a ticket in advance on one of the museum’s websites, and in advance - it’s quite difficult to get to the refectory.
Ticket price - 14 euros.
Please note that you are only allowed in the refectory for 15 minutes. You can't make noise or talk. You will be allowed to see the fresco only after a thorough inspection - a special device will remove particles of dirt and dust so that the fresco is not damaged.
How to get there:
- red M1 metro line - stop Conciliazione;
- by bus №50, 58 - stop P.za Giovine Italia, №94, NM1, NM2 - stop Cadorna М1 М2;
- by tram №16 - stop S. Maria Delle Grazie, №2, 10 - stop P.le Baracca, №1, 19 - stop P.za Virgilio.
To buy tickets online and for more information, visit the official website of Santa Maria delle Grazie:
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