Medici Chapel

The Medici Chapel is a memorial chapel, the tomb of the Medici family at the Florentine church of San Lorenzo. Her sculptures are among the most ambitious achievements of the art of the High Renaissance in the work of Michelangelo Buonarroti. The place is among the recommended locations for tourists to visit.

History of the Medici Chapel

The renovation of the small Florentine church was conceived by the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Leo X (aka Giovanni de' Medici) in order to confirm the power of this family. Michelangelo, already famous at that time, was invited to create a new façade. Work began in 1514, but a few years later the project was frozen due to lack of funds. By the way, the façade remains unfinished to this day.

At the same time, the name of the great architect was already so famous that the Medici decided to continue cooperation with the master, entrusting him with the refurbishment of the chapel on the territory of the church. The object of reconstruction was an unfinished church, whose foundation was installed a century earlier, and which all this time served as the family crypt of a wealthy clan. True, he had to constantly redo the original project, adapting to the changing needs of customers. So the tombs of Lorenzo and Giuliano should have been located in the center of the chapel, and not in the side. On the floor near the tombstones there were supposed to be statues of river gods; armor and figures of boys were supposed to be placed above them. But the Medici family rejected this option, preserving only four figures near the sarcophagi.

Work on the decoration of the chapel lasted almost 15 years, during which time the Medici themselves were forced to flee the city as a result of a spontaneous revolution (while Michelangelo was completely on the side of the rebels, taking care of all the defensive fortifications of Florence), they returned, having acquired even greater power, and practically forced the artist to continue working. True, after some time he managed to escape to Rome, directing the entire process from afar. Several figures in the Medici Chapel were already completed by his assistants.

Brief description

The Medici Chapel is completely subordinated to the theme of death: frescoes and sculptures, sarcophagi and statues of the Day tell the story. By the way, the statues of the Day brought Michelangelo even greater fame. Morning and Evening, Day and Night convey the Medici motto “Always” and at the same time remind us of the transience of existence. Of the four sculptures, the greatest tragedy emanates from the figure of Night, Day is deliberately left unfinished, and Morning and Evening seem to slide off the pedestal.

Opposite the altar in the Medici Chapel there is another burial, above which there are three sculptures, the most famous of which is the Madonna and Child. This is the only figure in whom there is no sense of tragedy. Everything else evokes thoughts of the proximity and inevitability of death. The Medici Chapel consists of three parts: below are the burials of lesser-known representatives of the Medici clan, above are the graves of the more famous members of this family, the upper part is filled with light, symbolizing the resurrection of the soul.

It is difficult to visit Florence without visiting the Medici Chapel. This amazing structure is considered one of the greatest creations of Michelangelo, who became an architect and sculptor in the memorial chapel. You can visit the chapel at almost any time; the opening hours are very convenient for tourists living in Florence itself or visiting this city as part of excursions.