SANTA MARIA DELLE GRAZIE E CENACOLO VINCIANO

Santa Maria delle Grazie

The visit begins at the beautiful Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie, a Renaissance masterpiece whose construction, begun in 1463, underwent a radical metamorphosis within thirty years, turning into the architectural jewel that we admire today.

The original core of the complex probably lies in the Chapel of the Virgin of the Rosary (on the left side), commissioned by Vimercati to house a miraculous image of the Madonna. Although the convent was initially named after St Dominic, it was the profound symbolic connection with this chapel that decreed the change of name to “Santa Maria delle Grazie”.

The stylistic evolution of the church is marked by the alternation of two great masters:

• Guininforte Solari: The most famous architect of 15th-century Milan designed a solid and traditional structure with a longitudinal plan and side chapels.
• Donato Bramante: Called by Ludovico the Moor To renovate the building in a modern key, Bramante distorted its layout. He demolished the solar apsidal part to erect a monumental Tribunean avant-garde cubic space surmounted by a majestic dome, which transformed the church into a unified and luminous organism.

The prestige of the Basilica led the noblest Milanese families to choose its chapels as private mausoleums, enriching them with priceless works of art, such as sculptures by Antonello da Messina in St Catherine's Chapel or the frescoes by Gaudenzio Ferrari in those of the Adorant Virgin and St Crown.

Accessibility and Services: The Basilica is at the forefront of hospitality. Inside there is an information panel with texts in Italian, English and Braille, complete with a tactile relief plan for orientation. Through technologies QR Code and NFC, visitors with sensory disabilities can also access dedicated multimedia content.

The Cenacolo Vinciano

To the left of the façade of the Basilica is the entrance to the Museo del Cenacolo Vinciano. Here is kept the masterpiece of Leonardo da Vinci, a work that, according to UNESCO's motivation, ushered in a new era in the history of art.

Painted between 1494 and 1497 at the behest of Ludovico il Moro, the’Last Supper occupies the northern wall of what was once the convent refectory. Leonardo's intention was to create an illusion of continuity: the Apostles were to appear as diners seated next to the friars, a feeling accentuated by the almost photographic realism of the crockery and food.

Technique and light

What makes the work eternal is the masterly study of the perspective and the light. Three windows in the background open up the space to a bright landscape, creating a backlight that shapes the figures.

Unlike his contemporaries, Leonardo did not choose the fresco. His quest for perfection was not compatible with the speed of execution required by fresh plaster. He opted for an experimental technique to tempera grassa on chalk, which allowed him to work with meticulous slowness, paying attention to every detail and making constant revisions. This choice, however, proved to be fragile: the painting began to deteriorate prematurely.

Conservation and Visiting

After a 20-year restoration completed in 1999, which brought to light the original fragments, the Cenacolo is now protected by a sophisticated air purification system. To preserve this delicate balance, access is limited to 25 visitors every 15 minutes.

An artistic curiosity: On the wall opposite the Last Supper is the Crucifixion by Giovanni Donato da Montorfano (1495). The juxtaposition of the two works allows the visitor to embrace, in a single glance, the beginning and the fulfilment of the Passion of Christ.