Santa Maria Delle Grazie Last Supper, Milan

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In 1463, a captain in Francesco Sforza's army, Gaspare Vimercati, donated a plot of land to the Domenican order. On the site was a chapel adorned with a fresco of the Virgin, the so-called Madonna delle Grazie. The monks commissioned Guiniforte Solari to build a church and monastery on the plot, and ground was broken on September 10, 1463. The church that Solari built between 1466 and 1490 is a typical example of the transition stage between Gothic and Renaissance, as can be seen in the Lombard style gabled facade decorated with pilaster strips and pierced by a single opening below and several niches above. Only the gabled portal belongs to the period when the Renaissance architect Bramante was involved in the work.
Leonardo's "Last Supper"
Leonardo da Vinci spent eighteen years in Milano, at the court of Ludovico il Moro. He started work on the fresco in 1496 when he recived a commission from Ludovico who, after having enlarged the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, decided to enlarge and decorate the Refectory (Dining Hall) of the adjacent Dominican monastery.
Do not miss to see it when visiting this church!

Leonardo da Vinci’s the Last Supper was painted in the refectory of the church Santa Maria delle Grazie. To see the painting you should book a ticket in advanced. This could be done on line, but when I wanted to book a ticket a few weeks before my visit there were no tickets left for the whole of February. Luckily I had read on the VT-forum that you could get a ticket at the ticket office when not all people turn up. Tour companies for example buy a lot of tickets but not always sell out their tours.

I came to Santa Maria dellle Grazie in the morning and was told I could get a ticket with entrance after 25 minutes. The ticket was 6.50 Euro (February 2009). To protect the painting only a group of maximum 25 people are allowed in at a time and each group can stay 15 minutes.

I had no expectations when entering the room, but was overwhelmed. The painting is impressive and the light just right. The painting is painted from corner to corner over a door on the north wall of the refectory. It is like the room continues into the painting. On the opposite wall there is a large painting, the Crucifixion, painted by Donato Montorfano in 1495. Everyone in the group was quiet for the 15 minutes the visit lasted.

The Last Supper was painted by Leonardo da Vinci between 1495 - 97. In 1943 the refectory was damaged by bombings, but luckily the Last Supper was saved because the wall had been sandbagged. Today the painting and the church is on UNESCOs World Heritage List.

Opening hours: 8.00 - 19.30. Closed on Mondays.

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leonardo da vinci's famous painting "the last supper" is located in the renaissance convent, santa maria delle grazie in cental milan. this painting is considered one of the key images of western civilization. because of environmental concerns only a few visitors are allowed to view the painting at one time. you must make an appointment to view the painting at least 60 days in advance. santa maria della grazie is open tues through sun.

In order to see The Last Supper, you should call several days in advance and make a reservation (operators speak English and Italian). I called on a Monday and could not get a ticket until the following Sunday, and it was not high season or a long weekend. Then, show up at Santa Maria delle Grazie church fifteen or twenty minutes before your scheduled entrance time, armed with your reservation number, and trade your passport and €5 for a great audio guide.

When you enter the room holding the painting, you will be amazed that it has survived the test of time (plus two World Wars and Napoleon's use of the room as a stable for horses!). You will be allowed fifteen minutes to view the massive painting, which was painted by Leondardo da Vinci over the course of approximately four years.

The church is difficult to find and there are no signs guiding the way, so bring your map!

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The Leonardo da Vinci painting, the 'Last Supper' measures 450 × 870 centimeters (15 feet × 29 ft) and covers an end wall of the dining hall at the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. Groups of 20 or so are let in several times an hour and pass through several chambers keeping the refectory at a constant temperature and humidity.

We booked a few weeks in advance through the internet ticket site www.tickitaly.com which we have used before. Simply take tour reservation into the main ticket office half hour before your booked time and they will exchange it for tickets. You will then have some time to look around the Santa Maria della Grazie church next door. On the day we turned up there were signs indicating no tickets available and no cancellations, and we were there on a cold February day.

Photography is not allowed in the room, although everyone with a phone seemed to be snapping away and no one said anything to stop them. Only people carrying DSLR cameras were singled out with warning words.

The guide gives a five minute speech while you are in front of the painting but mine didn't speak English very well and the room is extremely echoing meaning only half of what she says will probably not be understood unless you are standing next to the guide. Read about the painting before you go and you'll enjoy the experience more.

in order to view the last super fresco, you need to reserve ticket online, but if there are no more online tickets for your time, like us, your best bet is to go the office the first thing in the morning, and see if there are any tickets left. the price is euro6.50. The office open at 8am, it is on the left of the church.

Leonardo da Vinci's painting, The Last Supper, in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, reaches across the centuries and plucks at your heartstrings.

It's a large, symbolic painting that took da Vinci four years to finish. Because he chose to paint with tempera on wood, which allowed him to make changes, the painting began deteriorating even in his lifetime. Today it is faded but still powerful.

I was knocked out by the amount of Scriptural research da Vinci did. For example, he painted it high on the wall to show that the Last Supper took place in a room on the second floor, and also incorporated different friendships and alliances into the composition.

Augggh story: Jesus' feet were originally visible under the table - their position mirrored its sister painting, The Crucifixion, across the church. But a 17th monk enlarged the door under the painting, cutting off a chunk of it. (But the good news is, they had a bigger door to the kitchen...)

Buy your ticket online before you go. Only 25 people at a time are allowed in the room (heat and humidity generated by our bodies could damage the painting), so tickets often sell out weeks ahead of time. We bought ours six weeks in advance from Tickitaly for 21 Euros each. This included a 15 minute guided tour, which was fascinating.

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Would you like to feel for one day like Professor Langdon from "The Da Vinci Code"? If yes, then in Milan don't miss a visit to the old Dominican monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie where in the refectory you can admire one of the greatest frescoes of all time: Leonardo's Last Supper illustrating Christ when he predicts that one among his apostles will betray him.
The famous fresco is already the focus of mythical speculation after author Dan Brown based his fiction around the painting.
Leonardo was commissioned to execute the painting by Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza. He began painting in 1495 and completed it in 1498. Unfortunately, Leonardo tried a new technique here which has led to the deterioration of the painting in very short time.
Christ's feet were cut off sometime by a doorway having been opened through the painting. The last restoration, completed in 1999, was more "repainting" rather than "restoring"
Reservation to view the fresco is highly recommended, because the refectory building is so small, that only little group of tourists can go in in every 15 minute. Photo taking is not allowed.

Update 2010: Were the twelve apostles guilty of overeating at the Last Supper? Two brothers—an eating behavior expert and a religious studies scholar—are publishing findings that might make you think twice at your Easter dinner. more

Booking: http://www.cenacolovinciano.org/english/index.html
Admission fee 8.00€ incl. reservation.
Open: Tues.-Sun. 8:00 am - 7:30 pm, last entry 6:45 pm.
Other: The Last Supper is not accessible from the church: the entrance is to the left of the church in Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie.