The Medici Chapels in Florence

The Medici Chapels house the tombs of 50 members of the noble Florentine family. The chapels are located within the Basilica of San Lorenzo but have a separate entrance located behind the Basilica. In addition to the Crypt where the Medici are buried, the complex includes the New Sacristy designed by Michelangelo to host the tombs of Lorenzo and Giuliano de' Medici, and the Chapel of the Princes, constructed starting from the early 17th century as a mausoleum for the Medici.

Upon entering the Medici Chapels, you immediately access the crypt. Here, you can 'meet' all the Medici family members known from history books. Cosimo I and Grand Duke Cosimo II, Grand Duke Ferdinand I and his wife Christina of Lorraine, Giovanni delle Bande Nere and Caterina, Prince Lorenzo and Cardinal Leopold. The crypt is shaped like an octagon covered by robust ribbed vaults. From the first half of the 1400s, members of the Florentine family were buried in the Basilica of San Lorenzo until 1791 when Ferdinand III of Lorraine relocated the remains of the Medici from the Old Sacristy to the New one located in the basement of San Lorenzo.

From the Crypt, you can access the Chapel of the Princes via a staircase. Work on the chapel began in the mid-1600s and progressed slowly over time. It was Anna Maria Luisa, the last heir of the dynasty, who wanted the completion of the project. During her life, the dome, which had never been finished in its ribs and lantern, was frescoed, while the original planned mosaic decoration was replaced by a fresco created later (1828-37) by the Neoclassical painter Pietro Benvenuti (1769-1844), depicting four episodes from the stories of Genesis (the Creation of Adam and Eve, Original Sin, the Death of Abel, the Great Flood) and four episodes from the New Testament (Nativity, Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Last Judgment). In the final ring, divided into octagons, there are images of the four Evangelists (John, Luke, Mark, Matthew), and the four figures of the Precursor (Moses, Aaron, David, and Saint John the Baptist).

The New Sacristy is named to distinguish it from the Old Sacristy, built by Brunelleschi and located within the same Basilica of San Lorenzo. The New Sacristy was designed by Michelangelo based on a previous project by Giuliano da Sangallo. Commissioned by Pope Leo X de' Medici to house the remains of his father, Lorenzo the Magnificent, and his uncle, Giuliano de' Medici, along with his brother Giuliano Duke of Nemours and his nephew Lorenzo Duke of Urbino. Michelangelo started work in 1520 and proceeded for about 14 years, with continuous interruptions, until his departure for Rome, where he was called to construct the Dome of St. Peter's. During the work on the New Sacristy, Florence experienced some of the darkest episodes in its history, including the expulsion of the Medici and the siege of Republican Florence (1530). This did not prevent him from creating a masterpiece, partly due to the inspiration drawn from the Old Sacristy, designed by Brunelleschi. It was Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574) and Bernardo Buontalenti (1536-1608), commissioned by Cosimo I, who gave the current configuration to the New Sacristy between 1554 and 1555.

Compared to the Old Sacristy, Michelangelo introduced several important innovations. Under the dome, there is a mezzanine level with windows. On the right and left walls are Michelangelo's works dedicated to Lorenzo of Urbino and Giuliano of Nemours, two young members of the Medici family who both died young after dedicating their brief lives to arms. On the right wall, there is the tomb of Giuliano de' Medici, with the allegorical figures of Day and Night at its feet. Night is surrounded by symbols of darkness and sleep (a diadem with a crescent moon, a barn owl, a mask with empty eye sockets, a bouquet of poppies). The statue of Day, however, was left unfinished by Michelangelo (particularly at the face) so that the light 'stops' on its surface. Facing this arrangement, there is the monument with the figure of Lorenzo of Urbino (the recipient of Machiavelli's Prince), with Aurora and Twilight at its feet; the former depicted as just resurfacing from sleep and the latter as abandoned in a painful inertia. Above the tomb containing the remains of Lorenzo the Magnificent (who died in 1492) and his brother Giuliano (killed during the Pazzi conspiracy in 1478) are three sculptures, at the center of which is the Madonna with Child, an original work by Michelangelo created in 1521.

Address: Historic Center. How to get there: on foot. Opening hours: Monday-Sunday 8:15 AM - 1:50 PM; December 26, 2015 - January 6, 2016 Monday-Sunday 8:15 AM - 4:50 PM. The ticket office closes at 1:20 PM. Closed: 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month; 1st, 3rd, and 5th Monday of the month; New Year's Day, May 1, Christmas.

Ticket price: full price $6.00; Full ticket for exhibitions (mandatory supplement): $8.00; Free on the first Sunday of the month.