The Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie impresses not only with its unusual red façade, but also with the jewel it hides within its walls, the mural of the Last Supper by the master Leonardo Da Vinci.

The Last Supper painting by Leonardo da Vinci

The church, or rather the adjacent refectory (dining room) of the Dominican monastery, houses one of the world's most famous works of art, which tourists from all over the world travel to see. We are talking about the famous mural by Leonardo da Vinci depicting the Last Supper of Jesus and his twelve apostles.

The painting was painted between 1495 and 1498.

Dimensions and technique of the painting

Da Vinci's Last Supper is a monumental painting measuring 460 x 880 cm and covers almost one entire wall of the refectory. Although it is a mural, it is not a classical fresco. This was applied on still wet plaster, whereas Leonardo da Vinci tried an innovative approach and created the work with tempera and oil on already dry plaster.

However, even with this technique, the painting quickly deteriorated and after 100 years was considered almost ruined. The work of destruction was completed by Napoleon's domination of Milan and the vandalistic behaviour of his soldiers.

It was not until the 20th century that The Last Supper was significantly restored and today it enjoys the original form in which Leonardo da Vinci created it.

An unusual depiction

The motif of the Last Supper was very common among artists, but da Vinci unusually chose to depict the moment when Judas had not yet been branded a traitor. Da Vinci's painting depicts the very moment when Jesus breaks the news to the apostles that one of the twelve will betray him.

It was the depiction of this moment that allowed da Vinci to weave emotion into the figures. Surprise, horror, wild gesticulation. And it is these attributes that make Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper one of the world's great works of all time.

Admission and tour of The Last Supper

The painting is not a direct part of the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, but a specially designated museum called the Museo Cenacolo Vinciano, the Italian name for da Vinci's Last Supper.

For the protection of the work, access is strictly limited to a specified number of people and by reservation only.

This is most easily done through the official website cenacolovinciano.vivaticket.it.

Reservations open 4 times a year for the following 3 months.

In practice, this works so that, for example, on 10 January the possibility to book tickets for February, March and April opens and is open until the tickets are completely sold out. In April, it opens for bookings for May, June, July and so on.

If you have a fixed date to visit, we recommend checking the official website frequently to ensure you get in. You must reserve tickets for the exact time, and you must go to the on-site box office 30 minutes before the visit to present a printed proof of purchase (just show it on your mobile phone), which will be exchanged for a regular ticket.

Full admission - 15 eur
discounted for students under 25 - 2 eur

Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie

Da Vinci's painting is located in the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie (Our Lady of Grace), itself an important Milanese monument with an unusual appearance. It was built between 1463 and 1497, together with the adjacent Dominican convent, under the rule of the Sforza family.

The Gothic nave with unusual red bricks is complemented by a Renaissance dome and an apse in a very interesting style with a covered gallery at the top of the tower.

Entrance to the church is free, there is only a charge to visit the refectory with the Last Supper, see above. In 1980 the whole site, including the da Vinci painting, was listed by UNESCO.

How to get to the church?

The Church of the Last Supper is located on the western edge of the centre in Corso Magenta, about 600 metres from Castello Sforzesco. Directly in front of the entrance to the church is the tram stop "S. Maria delle Grazie", which is the route of the line 16, which takes you directly to the centre to the Duomo of Milan.

The nearest metro station , Conciliazione, is located about 350 metres to the west, with the M1 line passing through.