Bramante Santa Maria delle Grazie. Italian language, italy, self-study italian
The Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, belonging to a Dominican monastery, is located in one of the western districts of Milan, and is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful churches of the Renaissance.
Construction history
A small late Gothic church was built in the 15th century. It all started with in 1463 Count of Vimercati, engaged in patronage, gave the monastic order of the Dominicans a piece of land on which it was decided to build a church.
The construction, which began in 1469 by order of the Dominican monks, was carried out led by Giniforte Solari. But at the final stage of construction, Duke Ludovico Sforza suddenly intervened in the work, who planned to make a personal tomb out of the church. For this, the architect Donato Bramante was urgently called in, who had the honor of completing the construction.
Bramante changed the original architecture, rebuilding the dome of the temple and the choirs inside the premises, and also making a cube with three apses instead of a semicircular apse. A portico with columns was attached to it, and Ludovico himself and his wife are depicted on the gate medallion (the work of Leonardo da Vinci). All splendor is crowned by a huge dome. The coat of arms of the Sforza family is depicted on the brick wall of the façade.
The church was built of red brick, and the facade is lined with small slabs of light marble. The high ceiling is formed by nave ceilings. Famous Lombard masters took part in the painting of the walls with frescoes.- Donato Montorfano (he owns a work called "The Crucifixion"), Gaudenzo Ferrari (a series of frescoes on the theme of the life of Jesus Christ). To the left of the entrance is the della Crochia Chapel.
Bramante also came up with the idea of a courtyard: usually the courtyard of the churches of the Early Renaissance was distinguished by gloom and confinement of space, but Bramante built a bright spacious courtyard with a small pool in the middle.
This courtyard has its own secret. Passing through a small gallery to the ancient sacristy, you can find a hidden underground passage that connects the premises of Santa Maria delle Grazie and the castle of the Duke of Sforza.
Despite the fact that Sforza eventually lost its leading position and influence, work on the construction and decoration of the church did not stop. A little later, the Court of the Inquisition settled here., and work on decorating the church continued with redoubled zeal - walls and ceilings were painted with scenes from biblical life. Repair work lasted until the end of the 17th century.
In 1980, the monastery complex of Santa Maria delle Grazie (monastery and church) was inscribed on the UN World Heritage List.
"The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci: description and photo of the painting
The main attraction of the church in Milan is famous fresco by Leonardo da Vinci - "The Last Supper", more precisely, the picture can be seen not in the church itself, but in the refectory, located to the left of the main entrance, on the far end wall. The dimensions of the fresco are 8.8 by 4.6 meters.
Leonardo's idea was to give the monks the impression that Jesus and his disciples were having a meal with them, practically at the same table. The figures on the fresco are depicted in full growth, and it seemed to everyone who entered the refectory that Jesus really was eating food together with everyone at the common table.
For a long time, Leonardo could not find a model for the image of Judas, and as a result, the abbot of the Dominican monastery became the prototype, which rather bothered the artist in the process of his work. The images of the disciples are based on ordinary citizens, whom Leonardo was looking for in taverns, on the streets and in the monastery.
The fact that the fresco survived the bombings of World War II is considered by many to be a miracle. The documents preserved the data that the adjacent wall was demolished by the explosion, and the wall with the fresco itself remained almost unscathed.
"The Last Supper" restored 7 times, the last restoration lasted for 20 years and was completed in 1999. Before the last restoration, church ministers discovered that the wall, on which the fresco is located, was beginning to dampen, threatening the masterpiece.
It was decided to remove the top layers of plaster along with the fresco and dry it using special technologies. During the last restoration, all previously applied paints and low-quality additions were removed from the fresco, and the masterpiece appeared to the world almost in its original form.
Today, people are allowed to see the fresco only after the obligatory procedure - visitors will need to go through a special apparatus that will remove particles of dirt and dust as much as possible. This is done so that as little harm as possible is done to the creation of Leonardo.
Those who, for a number of reasons, did not manage to admire the masterpiece while visiting the church, may not be upset - in the churchyard, a skillfully executed copy of the fresco is hung on one of the walls.
Learn more about the church and the mysteries and secrets of Leonardo da Vinci's painting "The Last Supper" from the video:
Would you like to visit the outskirts of the city, but do not know what to see near Milan? !
Santa Maria delle Grazie is a medieval church famous for its frescoes by Leonardo da Vinci. Tourists come here to see the famous Last Supper. The fresco, located in the refectory, was supposed to give the impression that Christ and the apostles dine with the monks. The painting is quite large, the apostles are depicted on it in full growth. The fresco began to collapse during the life of Leonardo da Vinci; throughout its history, it has repeatedly been subjected to mechanical damage and inept attempts at restoration. The most extensive restoration began in 1980 and lasted almost 20 years. As a result, it was possible to restore everything that was possible: at present, special conditions have been created to preserve the fresco in the room. In order to see the "Last Supper", you must apply in advance and pick up a ticket half an hour before the appointed time. No more than 30 people are allowed into the refectory at the same time and only for 15 minutes.
The church itself, which is part of a Dominican monastery, also deserves attention. It was built in the late Gothic style starting from 1469 under the direction of Gviniforte Solari, later it was completed by the master Donato Bramante - it was he who provided the building with a portico with Corinthian columns. Da Vinci created not only a fresco, but also painted a gate medallion, on which he depicted the customer of the work, Lodovico Sforza, and his wife on the sides of the Madonna.
From the middle of the 16th to the end of the 17th century, the church was constantly being renovated, as a result, the building was decorated with frescoes by Ferrari and Serano. In 1943, the refectory of the church was bombed by Anglo-American aircraft, but the "Last Supper" miraculously did not suffer. In 1980, the monastery complex, together with the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, was recognized as the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in Italy.
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Working hours: the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie is open Monday to Friday from 7:00 to 12:00, from 15:00 to 19:00; Saturday and Sunday from 7:30 to 12:15 and from 15:30 to 21:00. The Last Supper fresco can be seen from Tuesday to Sunday from 8:15 to 18:45.
Ticket price: entrance to the church is free.
To view the fresco "The Last Supper", you must make an advance reservation (commission 1.5 euros) on the website www.vivaticket.it. The cost of a full ticket is 6.5 euros.
Address: Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie, 2 Milano 20123 Italy
The Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie is one of the most beautiful churches of the Renaissance in Milan and the place where the Last Supper fresco by Leonardo da Vinci is kept.
The church has a long history. In 1463, the Dominican Order acquired the territory in order to build a church. Construction began in 1469 under the leadership of Gviniforte Solari. At first, it was planned to build Santa Maria delle Grazie in the Gothic style. But in 1490, Duke Lodovico Sforza acquired an unfinished church, and decided to make a tomb of his kind out of it. Especially for this, he called another architect to rebuild it. Therefore, Santa Maria delle Grazia combines different styles of architecture (Gothic, Renaissance). For the decoration, Sforza hired Leonardo da Vinci. Then the famous "Last Supper" appeared.
In the 16th century, Santa Maria delle Grazie was handed over to the Inquisition, and a meeting of the Inquisition Court took place in its hall. In the 19th century, excavations began on the territory of the church, as a result of which a cellar with wine was found. According to legend, Sforza gave Leonardo da Vinci wine as payment.
On August 15, 1943, Anglo-American bombs were dropped on the refectory where the Last Supper was stored. But the fresco itself miraculously survived. And in 1980, Santa Maria delle Grazie was brought under the protection of UNESCO as an architectural monument. This is the first attraction in Italy to be so honored.
In order to see the fresco "The Last Supper", the tour must be booked by phone. The group should be no more than 20 people, and the duration of the visit should not exceed 15 minutes.
Santa Maria delle Grazie on the map
Where is Santa Maria delle Grazie on the map of Milan, how to get there
For the sake of the opportunity to look at it, millions of tourists are striving to Milan, regardless of the season.
The original fresco is located in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie (Santa Maria delle Grazie) on the eponymous square in Milan. The church was built in . It was commissioned by architects Guiniforte Solari and Donato Bramante, both Dominican friars.
The Last Supper fresco was commissioned by the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Maria Sforzo, at whose court Leonardo da Vinci won fame as a skilled painter. The artist completed the received order in the refectory of the monastery in 1495-1497.
Damage and restorations
During its more than half a thousand years of existence, the fresco was repeatedly damaged. And by the Dominican monks themselves, who cut off the lower part of the image along with the legs of Jesus and the nearest apostles. And the troops of Napoleon, who turned the church into a stable and threw stones at the heads of the apostles. And the Allied bombs that exploded on the roof during the Second World War. After the damage, well-intentioned restorers tried to repair the damage, but the result was not very good.
Already at the end of the 20th century, a lengthy restoration removed all previous unsuccessful restoration attempts and repaired the damage caused to the fresco. But despite this, today's "Last Supper" is only a shadow of the masterpiece created by the great painter.
The photo below shows a restored copy:
Description
Until now, many art historians believe « The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci is the greatest work of world art. Even in the era of da Vinci, the fresco was considered his best job- its approximate dimensions are 880 by 460 cm. It was made on dry plaster with a thick layer of egg tempera. Due to the use of such a fragile material, the fresco began to collapse already somewhere in 20 years after its creation.
The painting depicts the moment when Jesus Christ informs his disciples at dinner that one of them, Judas, who is sitting second in right hand from Christ, will betray him. In the picture, Judas is reaching out with his left hand to the same dish as Jesus, and in his right hand he is clutching a bag of silver. To obtain lifelikeness and accuracy, Leonardo for a long time observed the postures and facial expressions of his contemporaries in various situations. Most researchers of the work of Leonardo da Vinci have come to the conclusion that the ideal place to contemplate the painting is a distance of 9 meters from it at a height of 3.5 meters from the floor level.
The uniqueness of The Last Supper lies in the amazing diversity and richness of the emotions of the characters depicted. No other painting on the theme of the Last Supper even comes close to the uniqueness of the composition and fine detail of Leonardo's masterpiece. Three or four days could pass, during which the master did not touch the future work of art.
And when he returned, he stood idle for hours before the sketch, examining it and criticizing his work.
Thanks to this, each character is not only a beautiful portrait, but also a clear type. Every detail is thought out and repeatedly weighed.
The most difficult thing for Leonardo when painting was to find models for writing Good, embodied in the image of Christ, and Evil, embodied in the image of Judas. There is even a legend about how the ideal models for these images were found in the great picture. Once the painter got to the performance of the church choir. And there, in the face of one of the young choir singers, he saw a beautiful image of Jesus. He invited the boy to his studio and made several sketches. Three years later, the main work on The Last Supper was almost completed, and Leonardo had not found a suitable model for Judas. And the customer was in a hurry, demanding the speedy completion of the work. And so, having undertaken many days of searching, the artist saw a ragamuffin lying in a gutter. It was a young man, but he was drunk, ragged, and looked very decrepit. Deciding not to waste time sketching, da Vinci asked to bring this man directly to the cathedral. The limp body was dragged to the temple, and the master painted from him sinfulness, looking from his face.
When the work was finished, the tramp came to his senses and cried out in fright when he saw the picture. It turned out that he had already seen her, three years ago. Then he was young and full of dreams, and some artist invited him to pose for the image of Christ. Later everything changed, he lost himself and sank in life.
Maybe this legend tells us that good and evil are two sides of the same coin. And in life it all depends on at what point they meet on our way.
Tickets, opening hours
Church visitors wishing to see the "Last Supper" can only get inside for inspection in groups of up to 25 people. Before entering, everyone, without fail, must undergo a procedure for removing contaminants from clothing using special devices.
But, despite this, the queue of those wishing to see the fresco with their own eyes never dries up. During the high season from April to November, tickets must be booked at least 4 months in advance.
Moreover, the reservation must be paid immediately. That is, you can not pay later ordered in advance. In winter, when the flow of tourists decreases slightly, you can order tickets 1-2 months before visiting.
It is most profitable to buy tickets for the Memorial (CENACOLO VINCIANO) on the official website of the Italian Ministry of Culture www.vivaticket.it, which is available in Italian and English, but in fact there are never any tickets. As of 2019, an adult ticket costs €12 + €3.5 tax.
How to buy tickets at the last moment
How to see the famous fresco by Leonardo?
Having shoveled the entire Internet and analyzed dozens of intermediary sites, I can only recommend one reliable site for buying tickets online "last minute" is www.getyourguide.ru
We go to the Milan section and choose tickets costing from 44 euros with an English-speaking tour - such tickets are on sale in about a week or two.
If you need to see the Last Supper urgently, then choose the option for 68 euros with a tour of Milan.
For example, on August 18 in the evening I managed to book tickets for August 21, while on the official website the nearest free window is not earlier than December. The cost of 2 tickets with a group tour of Milan turned out to be 136 euros.
Working hours: from 8:15 to 19:00 with a break from 12:00 to 15:00. On pre-holiday and holidays, the church is open from 11-30 to 18-30. Weekends - January 1, May 1, December 25.
How to get there
You can get to the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie:
- Take tram 18 towards Magenta, stop Santa Maria delle Grazie
- On line M2, stop Conciliazione or Cadorna
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The painter created The Last Supper in the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie (now called Cenacolo Vinciano) from 1495 to 1497.
Around the time he was commissioned to paint the fresco, Bramante completed the church, which had begun in 1469 under the mentorship of the architect Solari.
Interesting fact! Leonardo painted not only the fresco, but also depicted Sforza with his wife near the Madonna on the gate medallion. Thus, the family was able to immortalize itself on one of the most famous architectural monuments.
How did two geniuses set about decorating and renovating a modest religious building, and not, say, the Duomo?
The answer lies in an ambitious plan to turn the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan into a magnificent mausoleum for the Sforza family. But this did not happen: 2 years after Leonardo finished The Last Supper, Ludovico il Moro Sforza lost power and then languished in a French dungeon for the remaining eight years of his life.
In creating his masterpiece, Leonardo chose to work slowly and patiently, using oil pigments that require dry plaster, rather than hastily sliding over wet plaster in the traditional fresco technique.
The Last Supper is an extremely complex and ambitious undertaking, so Leonardo did extensive research and created many developments and preparatory sketches before completing the painting. Only 20 drawings are now kept in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle. They have been there since 1600. The priceless collection is undoubtedly only a small part of the vast preparation that the greatest artist and scientist carried out in the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie.
Since its completion, the film has gone through an incredible history of failure and neglect. Its wear and tear began even before the paint on the wet walls was dry. In the XVIII and XIX centuries the fresco has undergone well-intentioned but poorly executed "improvements" that have only done more damage to it.
Then came the war: Napoleon's troops used the wall as a shooting target, and in August 1943 Allied bombing ripped off the roof of the building, leaving the painting exposed to the elements for three years. Novelist Aldous Huxley called The Last Supper of Santa Maria delle Grazie "the saddest work of art in the world."
But, finally, after many years of restoration work with meticulous attention to every square centimeter, the Renaissance masterpiece was freed from age-old repaints, dirt and dust. Although only a faint shadow of the original version remains, The Last Supper is still breathtaking. In 1980, the church, together with the monastery, entered the UNESCO list.
The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci
Most visitors often take a quick look at the church, but Santa Maria delle Grazie is a fairly complex structure with a stunning dome. It is part of a beautiful monastery complex.
The last meal shared by Jesus and his disciples was main theme used to decorate monastic refectories, especially in Florence, but Leonardo presented it in a completely innovative form. He made radical changes to the layout of the scene, and, most importantly, depicted this episode from the gospel with amazing realism.
Despite Leonardo's carefully preserved preparatory sketches, in which the apostles are clearly identified by name, there is still little dispute over the identity of several individuals. Novelist Dan Brown states in The Da Vinci Code that the figure to the right of Jesus is not John the Apostle, but Mary Magdalene. He is also sure that Peter is making a threatening gesture towards "Mary", so the painting represents a fierce battle between two figures in the early church period. However, most art historians note that St. John is usually depicted with female features, and there is no reason to think that this figure is Mary.
Be that as it may, one cannot be mistaken with the fact that the small and dark hand of Judas calmly looks towards the bread, as if isolated from the terrible confusion that has overwhelmed the hearts of the other participants in the picture. Critic Frederick Hartt said that the composition is so successful because it combines "dramatic confusion" and "mathematical order".
The surprisingly skillful and unobtrusive repetition of the trio—in the windows, in the grouping of the figures, and in their placement—really adds a mystical dimension to what at first appears to be just a perfect observation of a spontaneous human gesture.
On the southern wall opposite the "Last Supper" is a large "Crucifixion", painted by Donato Montorfano. Two magnificent scenes are connected by a painted frieze with biblical quotations in support of the monastic life.
It's better to book in advance. Otherwise, you will not be able to get tickets to visit the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Contact your booking office, your travel agent or hotel a few days before visiting church on weekdays and a couple of weeks before traveling on weekends.
Every fifteen minutes, only a small group of tourists (up to 30 people) gain access to the painting, so you can enjoy the masterpiece in relative silence.
Photography is not allowed inside the mural.
Ways to get to the church
With the question of how to get to Santa Maria delle Grazie, you should not have any problems. Take the metro line MM1 to the Conciliacione stop or MM2 to Cadorna, where you will see signs towards "Cenacolo Vinciano". From there follow the busy Corso Magenta towards the church.
You can also get there from Central Station. To do this, take the MM2 line and get off after five stops or spend 20 minutes on foot from the Duomo.
Contact Information
You don't have to pay to enter the building.
The refectory and the fresco: you won't be allowed in without booking tickets in advance. You can watch The Last Supper on the following days: Tuesday-Sunday (8:15-18:45).
Tel.: 02 92 800360 (active line from 8:00 to 18:30, except Sunday).
Fax: 02 92800363.
Booking tickets online: www.vivaticket.it (commission 1.5 EUR).
An adult ticket costs 6.5 EUR.
Church address: Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie, 2 Milan 20123 Italy.