One of the most iconic works of art in the world, Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper is undoubtedly the most popular attraction in Milan. Situated on a refectory wall in the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, the painting is well over half a millenia old and due to environmental factors, intentional damage and the method of painting employed itself; much of the painting has been lost and very little of the original painting remains despite multiple restoration attempts. Due to this, the crowd that gathers each day to cast their eyes upon the painting is carefully monitored. At any given point of time, a maximum of 30 people are allowed to briefly share the room with the painting for fifteen minutes. Due to this, The Last Supper tickets have become difficult to come by.
In this guide, we will cast a light on all that there is to know about how one could go about paying the painting a visit along with access to some exclusive Last Supper tickets.
The Last Supper Tickets
Due to strict conservatory measures, the supervisor of cultural artifacts for the city of Milan, restricts all visits to a maximum of 15 minutes. Due to the restricted viweing and popular demands, tickets to see The Last Supper are sold out well in advance. However, working with a network of tour operators around Milan, including official ticket partners, we now have tickets available on certain dates and certain times on those dates due to popular demand. Check out the Last Supper tickets available below to confirm their date of availability.
The Last Supper Ticket Options
The Last Supper Painting
Dedicated to a fleeting moment before Christ's passion and a testament to the genius of Leonardo Da Vinci, The Last Supper is perhaps one of the most iconic works of art from the Italian Renaissancea. The large mural painting occupies an 8.8 x 4.6 meters space on the refectory wall of the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy.
The original Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci. From Left to Right:
• Bartholomew, James and Andrew in the first group of three
• Judas Iscariot, Peter, and John in the second group of three
• Jesus
• Apostle Thomas, James the Greater, and Philip in the third group of three
• Matthew, Jude Thaddeus, and Simon the Zealot in the final group of three
The Last Supper - The Story of the Painting
Painted by Leonardo Da Vinci at the end of the 15th century, the work of art was commissioned by the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, and it was to be painted in the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie. The church had just been remodeled by Bramante in order to add the Sforza family mausoleum in it. Ludovico wanted The Last Supper to be the centerpiece of the mausoleum.
Leonardo employed a novel method to paint The Last Supper on the refectory walls, parting ways with the traditional method of painting frescoes on wet plaster. Looking to achieve greater detail and luminosity in the painting, Leonardo painted with oil and tempera on a dry wall coated with plaster and a layer of white lead. The technique is also in part responsible for the relatively short lifespan of the painting when compared to other frescoes of the time.
The last restoration work on The Last Supper was done in 1999 when after 20 years of work, all the layers of repaint had been removed to expose the original pigments. What remains of the refectory has now been hermetically sealed and one needs to pass through two doors to view the painting.
The Last Supper - The Story in the Painting
The elusive moment that The Last Supper catches and manages to freeze in time is the reaction of each apostle at the moment Jesus proclaimed that one of them would betray him. With the expressions of the apostles ranging between anger and shock, one that stands out is that of Judas. Draped in green and blue and sitting withdrawn in the shadows to the right of Jesus, Judas can be seen clutching a small bag and tipping over a salt cellar. In some studies, the bag harks back to the silver given to him as payment to betray Jesus and the tipping of the salt references the Eastern expression of "betraying the salt".
As stories and interpretations go, the painting highlights the moment Jesus, turns to Saints Thomas and James to his left, and predicts that the betrayer will take bread from the table at the same time as he does. Their faces hold a reaction of horror as Jesus points his left hand at a piece of bread on the table. Distracted by John and Peter, Judas reaches out for a piece of bread that unbeknownst to him, Jesus is reaching out for as well with his right hand. This can clearly be seen in Giampietrino's reproduction of the Last Supper.
Other Christian references such as the number 3, representing the Holy Trinity, are referenced in the painting as well - the grouping of the apostles, the number of windows in the background, Jesus's shape resembling a triangle and the triple arched ceiling of the refectory painted with Sforza coats-of-arms.
Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan
A UNESCO World Heritage sight, Santa Maria delle Grazie, or Holy Mary of Grace, is a historic monastery in Milan from the late 15th century. An unassuming, yet uniquely Italian, the brick red church is located about a 15 minute walk from the Duomo. The building was commissioned and built by the Sforza family and is most famous for perhaps the most obvious reason - being the home of The Last Supper.
During the Second World War, the building was bombed by an Allied bombardment that hit the church and the convent. Most of the refectory was destroyed in the resultant attack. However, some walls survived, including the one that The Last Supper was painted on. The painting survived behind layers of sand bags. Multiple restoration work has since been done on the painting and it is now safe for hopefully centuries to come.
Practical Information - All You Need To Know
The Last Supper Timings
Closed - Mondays, 1st Januray, 1st May, 25th December
Tuesday to Sunday - 8:15 AM - 7:00 PM (last entry at 6:45 PM)
Extended timings till 10:00 PM on October 15th, October 22nd, October 29th, November 5th (free entrance), November 12th, November 19th, November 26th, December 3rd 2017.
Getting There
The church is located between metro stations Cadorna Triennale and Conciliazione. It’s a 10-minute walk from either station to the venue.
Dress Code
A strict dress code must be followed in order to enter the church. Shoulder and knees must be covered by both men and women at all points in time.
Photography
You can take photos of The Last Supper is allowed. However, usage of a flash is prohibited.
The Last Supper Experience Reviews
The Last Supper by Da Vinci is a must see in Milan, but it's probably the most difficult thing for you to see if you don't book tickets in advance. I hadn't booked tickets in advance so I went on a guided tour to see it, but it was worth it. Book your tickets way in advance and do some reading before going. If not, the guided tours offer tickets and valuable information about the mural.
I had been wanting to see Leonardo da Vinci’s painting “The Last Supper” for decades, since I was a teenager, but every time I had a chance to travel to Milan and checked the official website, the tickets had sold out. This time, though, I got lucky! There were a couple of timeslots left for when we were going to be in Milan, including one with an English guided tour. The price is not cheap: 10 euros entry plus 3.50 euros for the guided tour, plus 2 euros online booking charge — all to spend 15 minutes looking at one painting (or two if you count the crucifixion painting on the opposite wall, but few people give that more than a few moments’ attention). However, to me it was worth it.
We were taken inside in a group of about 25 people after being given instructions by our guide on what we were allowed and not allowed to do — thank goodness, they do not have the silly restriction against all photography that they have in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, only a sensible restriction on flash photography. Once we were in front of the iconic painting, our guide recited the information about it in rather a bored monotone, and I think I was one of only a couple of people in the group who listened really intently. But when I asked a couple of questions she brightened up and began explaining enthusiastically and happily. For me every second there was a joy and even though I know that there is very little left of the original painting given all the restorations over the centuries, I was absolutely thrilled to be able to study the painting live and up close. Despite high quality pictures being available all over the internet, being there in person is something else. Well worth it!
Read what others have to say about their Last Supper experience on TripAdvisor.
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