Medici Chapel in Florence: description, photos, history, opening hours

Florence, like almost any Italian city, is literally flooded with sights, historical monuments, all kinds of priceless artifacts, which we mentioned a little in the itinerary of a walk around Florence in 1 day. Among all this abundance there are places that simply cannot be missed, and one of such places is the Medici Chapel. It is part of the memorial complex at the church of San Lorenzo.

Strictly speaking, the chapel consists of three parts - a crypt with the burial of 49 not most famous Medici; Chapels of the Princes, where the ashes of much more famous representatives of the clan rest; and New Sacristia (Sagrestia Nuova).

It was on the design of the latter that the great Michelangelo Buonarroti worked, and, despite the very dramatic history of the project, it was here that the talent of the great Master reflected many of its facets. Actually, it is the New Sacristia that is most often referred to when talking about the Medici Chapel.

How to get, work mode

The main landmark for tourists who want to visit the Medici Chapel in Florence is the church of San Lorenzo itself. It is located at Piazza di San Lorenzo, 9.

The Medici Chapel is part of the San Lorenzo complex

The attraction is very significant, it is present in all possible guidebooks, so finding it will not be a problem. Next to the church is the C1 bus route. The stop is called "San Lorenzo". You can also get off at the next stop - "Cappelle Medicee".

The Medici Chapel is open to visitors every day from 8:15 to 18:00. Regular weekends - every even Sunday and every odd Monday of the month. The chapel is also closed on the biggest holidays - January 1 (New Year), December 25 (Christmas) and May 1.

Tickets for the Medici Chapel and the Laurenzian Library (another Michelangelo project in the San Lorenzo complex) are bought separately. The cash desk is open until 16:20. Children under six years old have free admission.

The Medici Chapel in Florence is a very popular destination, so it is not out of place to book tickets in advance online.

What is interesting about the Medici Chapel

Being far from the only picturesque tomb in Florence, the Medici Chapel is strikingly different from other similar objects. Michelangelo put all his talent into creating an atmosphere of deep tragedy and grief in the chapel - everything here is devoted to the theme of death.

Even the nature of natural light is very symbolic. At the very bottom, where the sarcophagi with the dead are located, the darkest of all. The higher, the more light from outside gets into the building. This symbolizes the immortality of the soul and its transition to the kingdom of light after the completion of man's earthly life.

Above the tombs of Lorenzo the Magnificent and his brother Giuliano, you can see the work of Michelangelo "Madonna and Child", sculptures of Saints Cosmas and Domian

The central object in the Medici Chapel is the altar. But by no means is he of the greatest interest from an artistic and aesthetic point of view.

On the right and left side of the altar are the tombs of the Dukes Giuliano Nemursky and Lorenzo Urbinsky. Directly opposite the altar, at the opposite wall in the protruding basement lies the remains of two more Medici - Lorenzo the Magnificent and his brother Giuliano.

These two representatives of a powerful family were at one time much more significant figures than their namesakes, buried "in the neighborhood." But their sarcophagi are decorated much more modestly - on the crypt are three statues of Michelangelo's work - Saints Cosmas and Damian, and the "Madonna and Child". The latter is almost the only sculpture in the chapel, which is devoid of tragedy, and is filled with a lyrical reflection of the proximity of mother and child.

Lorenzo the Magnificent was a prominent statesman of the Florentine Republic and its leader during the Renaissance. Many people have a natural question, why did he and his brother get the tomb from Michelangelo so minimalistic design.

The answer is actually very simple. Lorenzo Urbinsky and Giuliano Nemursky were the first of the Medici clan to receive ducal titles. In those feudal times, this circumstance was much more important than the real historical role of a person.

Allegorical figures "Morning" (female) and "Evening" (male) adorn the tombstone of Lorenzo Urbinsky

The sarcophagi of the dukes of Lorenzo and Giuliano Medici are decorated with sculptures that brought even more glory to the already famous at that time Michelangelo. These are the so-called "Day". The sculptures "Morning" and "Evening" are installed on the tomb of Lorenzo Urbinsky, and "Day" and "Night" - on the sarcophagus of Giuliano Nemursky.

Even during the life of Michelangelo, the sculpture "Night" made a lasting impression on the contemporaries of the creator with his deep tragedy. The figure creates exactly the same mood now, as evidenced by the numerous reviews of visitors to the Medici Chapel.

The figures "Day" (male) and "Night" (female) are set by Michelangelo over the tomb of Giuliano Nemursky

Everything described is just the most visible works of Michelangelo, created in the course of work on the interior decoration of the chapel. Realization of the real greatness of this work of art comes as you become familiar with the very history of the creation of the Medici Chapel.

History of creation

Initially, the plans of Pope Leo X (Giovanni Medici) regarding the renewal of the Florentine church of San Lorenzo were completely different.

Papa wanted to create a new facade for the family church of the Medici family and invited Michelangelo to carry out this large-scale task. The goal was to embody in the new facade all the power of talent of the best Italian artists and thus testify to the power of the Medici clan.

Michelangelo arrived in Florence and began work in 1514. However, the first time that the sculptor spent in marble quarries turned out to be wasted. Pope Leo X was "famous" for extravagance, and there was simply no money for the erection of a grand facade. After the death of the pope, the project was hopelessly frozen.

The facade of the Basilica of San Lorenzo to this day has remained incomplete

However, the name of Michelangelo already at that time was so illustrious that the Medici family decided at all costs to resume cooperation with an ambitious sculptor. So, on the initiative of Cardinal Giulio Medici, the idea of completing a new chapel on the territory of the church of San Lorenzo (to the height of the eaves of New Sacristia was erected at the end of the 15th century) was born.

Design and Projects

The placement of the tombs of the Dukes of Lorenzo and Giuliano in the future Medici Chapel in Florence was originally conceived. Michelangelo planned to install them in the very center of the chapel, but later the artist nevertheless leaned towards a more traditional, side wall wall layout of the monuments. According to his plan, the tombstones were to be decorated with symbolic sculptures, and the lunettes above them were painted with frescoes.

The sculptures of Lorenzo and Giuliano were designed as symbolic - they did not reflect the appearance of their real prototypes. This was a condition of the artist, who was known for his not quite explainable negative attitude to portraits and other forms of embodiment in art of exact images of real people.

Therefore, the faces of the figures presented themselves as an idealized generalization. Allegorical figures of the course of the day were to be a hint at the fleeting life of the dukes.

Sculptures of the Dukes of the Medici do not convey the real appearance of their prototypes

The project also assumed the presence of figures of river gods on the tombstones, it was planned to place armor, garlands and four figures of crouching boys above the tombstones. But, due to a number of circumstances, not everything came out of everything planned to be realized.

Conflict with the Medici

Michelangelo began work on the interior of the Medici Chapel when he was 45 years old. The grandeur of the plan did not frighten him at all. Although the master was already, at that time, very age-related, he embarked on the project with all the zeal. It was as if he knew that the time of his life had barely exceeded half (the artist died at a very advanced age - 88 years).

Work on the basic design elements of the Medici Chapel lasted almost 15 years. For all this time, the original plan had to be repeatedly adjusted, which was very annoying for Michelangelo, and, in the end, he was not happy with the result.

At the same time, his relations with the Medici family quickly deteriorated. In the end, in 1527, a Republican-minded part of the Florentines rebelled against the Medici, and the latter had to flee. In this confrontation, Michelangelo was on the side of the rebels.

Florence did not long remain under the leadership of the interim government. The combined armies of Emperor Charles and the Pope of Rome laid siege to the city. Michelangelo was appointed leader of all the fortifications.

The figure of St. Cosmas was finalized by the assistant of Michelangelo Giovanni Montorsoli

But in 1531, Florence fell, power returned to the Medici, and Michelangelo saved only his fame from reprisal. The doctors forced him to continue work on the chapel.

Having completed only the sketches of some sculptures, the artist left for Rome and worked there for the rest of his life. The master never returned to Florence. The figures of Saints Cosmas and Damian were finalized by his assistants - Raffaello and Montorsoli da Montelupo.