Fresco “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci in Milan

One of the main attractions of Milan, and the very reason to visit Italy’s northern capital, is Leonardo da Vinci’s fresco “The Last Supper.”

Millions of tourists flock to Milan throughout the year to see this masterpiece.

Summary – Things to Know about the Last Supper

Santa Maria delle Grazie Church

The original fresco is located in the Santa Maria delle Grazie church on the eponymous square in Milan. The church was built during the Renaissance era and was commissioned to architects Guiniforte Solari and Donato Bramante by Dominican monks.

“The Last Supper” was commissioned by the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Maria Sforza, at whose court Leonardo da Vinci earned his reputation as a skilled painter. The artist completed this work in the monastery’s refectory between 1495 and 1497.

Damage and Restorations of the Fresco

Over its more than half-millennium existence, the fresco has been damaged numerous times:

1. The Dominican monks cut off the image’s lower part along with the feet of Jesus and the nearest apostles.
2. Napoleon’s troops turned the church into a stable and hurled stones at the apostles’ heads.
3. By the bombs of the Allies, which exploded on the roof during World War II.

Well-intentioned restorers attempted to repair the damage, but the results were unsuccessful.

By the end of the 20th century, a prolonged restoration effort removed all previous unsuccessful attempts at restoration and rectified the damage to the fresco. However, despite this, today’s “The Last Supper” is but a shadow of the masterpiece created by the great painter.

The photo below shows the restored copy:

What is Depicted on “The Last Supper” Fresco

Many art historians still consider Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” the greatest masterpiece of world art. Even in da Vinci’s era, the fresco was considered his best work – its approximate dimensions are 880 x 460 cm. It was created on dry plaster using a thick layer of egg tempera. Due to the use of such fragile material, the fresco began to deteriorate about 20 years after its creation.

The fresco depicts the moment when Jesus Christ, during dinner, informs his disciples that one of them, Judas, sitting second to the right of Christ, will betray him. In the painting, Judas reaches with his left hand to the same dish as Jesus, and in his right hand, he clutches a bag of silver. Leonardo spent a long time observing his contemporaries in various situations to achieve lifelike poses and facial expressions. Most researchers of Leonardo da Vinci’s work agree that the ideal spot for contemplating the painting is 9 meters away from it at a height of 3.5 meters from the floor level.
The uniqueness of “The Last Supper” lies in the depicted characters’ astonishing diversity and richness of emotions. No other painting on the theme of the Last Supper can even come close to the uniqueness of the composition and the fine detailing of Leonardo’s masterpiece. There were days when the master did not touch the future work of art.

Upon returning, he stood for hours before the draft, examining and critiquing his work.

Thanks to this, each character is a beautiful portrait and a clear archetype. Every detail is thought out and weighed multiple times.
For Leonardo, the most challenging part of painting was finding models for the embodiment of Good, represented in the image of Christ, and Evil, represented in the image of Judas. There is even a legend about how the perfect models for these images on the great painting were found. Once, the painter attended a church choir performance, where he saw the beautiful image of Jesus in the face of one of the young singers. He invited the boy to his workshop and made several sketches. Three years later, the main work on “The Last Supper” was almost finished, and Leonardo still hadn’t found a suitable model for Judas. The patron was pressing for the work to be completed quickly. Then, after days of searching, the artist saw a ragged man lying in a sewer. He was a young man, but he was drunk, rough, and looked considerably aged. Deciding not to waste time on sketches, da Vinci asked to bring this man directly to the cathedral. The lifeless body was dragged into the church, and the master painted sinfulness from his face.

When the work was finished, the vagrant came to his senses and screamed in fear, seeing the painting. It turned out that he had seen it before, three years earlier. Back then, he was young and full of dreams, and some artist had invited him to pose for the image of Christ. Later, everything changed; he lost himself and fell in life.

Perhaps this legend tells us that good and evil are two sides of the same coin. And in life, everything depends on when they meet us on our path.

Tickets and Operating Hours in 2023

Visitors who wish to see “The Last Supper” can enter the church only in groups of up to 25 people. Upon entry, everyone must undergo a mandatory procedure to remove contaminants from their clothing using special devices.

And the reservation must be paid for immediately. You cannot pay later for what was booked in advance. In the winter, when the flow of tourists decreases slightly, tickets can be booked 1-2 months before visiting.

The most cost-effective way to buy tickets for The Last Supper (CENACOLO VINCIANO) is on the official website of the Italian Ministry of Culture cenacolovinciano.vivaticket.it, which is available in Italian and English, but in reality, there are never tickets available for the upcoming months on this site. As of April 2024 2023, an adult ticket costs 15 euros + 3.5 euros fee. It should also be noted that the site is terribly inconvenient and confusing.

How to Buy Last-Minute Tickets for The Last Supper

So, how can you see Leonardo’s famous fresco?
After scouring the internet and analyzing dozens of intermediary websites, I can only recommend 2 reliable sites for purchasing last-minute tickets online for The Last Supper – they are:

1. www.getyourguide.com
2. www.tiqets.com

Go to the Milan section and choose tickets costing 44 euros with an English-speaking tour – such tickets are available for sale about a week or two in advance.

If you need to see The Last Supper urgently, then choose the option for 45 euros with a guided tour.

For example, on the evening of August 18th, I booked tickets for August 21st, while the official website’s next available slot was not until December. The cost of 2 tickets for a group tour of Milan was 136 euros.

Opening Hours: From 8:15 AM to 7:00 PM with a break from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM. On the eve of holidays and on holidays, the church operates from 11:30 AM to 6:30 PM. Closed on January 1st, May 1st, and December 25th.

How to Get There

To reach the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, you can:

• Take tram 18 in the direction of Magenta, stopping at Santa Maria delle Grazie
• Use the metro, line M2, stopping at Conciliazione or Cadorna