The Last Supper !

The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci is located in a small, unimposing church called Santa Maria delle Grazie.  The church itself is beautiful and contains many works of art including a Caravaggio...

a bit dark, but beautiful...

 

 

the church from the street..

frescoed interior...

amazing details...

The Last Supper was started by Da Vinci in 1495 and finished around 1498...no sooner did he complete the masterpiece then it began to disintegrate.  He had used oil and tempura directly on a dry wall rather than the traditional fresco technique.  The scene depicts the reactions of the apostles when Jesus announces that one of them will betray him...it's an incredibly  moving experience to stand in front of this amazing work of art...you have to purchase tickets ahead of time (2 months or more !), and are only allowed 15 minutes to view the painting due to environmental concerns.  There have been over a dozen restorations over the years...the most recent was begun in 1978 and was completed in 1999...although it is said that only a fraction of the original Da Vinci remains, it is still absolutely stunning...

  the painting covers the entire wall...the monks who worshiped in this church used to eat their meals directly under the masterpiece...at one time, a doorway was cut into the lower part of the wall, thereby removing Jesus' feet...bad planning on someone's part...!






On the opposite end of the room there is a fresco depicting the Crucifixion by Donato da Montorfano...da Vinci added figures after the fresco was completed, but these too have deteriorated due to his "non fresco" technique.

the chapel where the Last Supper is located...

After visiting the Last Supper, all that remained for us to do was to find a place for OUR supper !