Santa Maria delle Grazie and mural of The Last Supper, Milan, Italy

Santa Maria delle Grazie is a Dominican church and convent in Milan and, together with Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980. The church was built from 1463 by Guiniforte Solari in Lombard Gothic style; a few years later Duke Ludovico Sforza, known as Il Moro, had Donato Bramante rebuild the east end with a huge Renaissance tribune and dome, intended as a mausoleum for his family. Entry to the church, with its brick facade, frescoed chapels and the tribune, is free.

The Last Supper (Cenacolo) covers the end wall of the former refectory next to the church. Leonardo painted it between about 1494 and 1498 for Ludovico Sforza, showing the moment when Jesus announces that one of the apostles will betray him. Instead of true fresco he used tempera and oil on dry plaster, so the paint began to flake within decades. The refectory was almost destroyed by bombing in August 1943, but the protected wall survived, and a restoration from 1978 to 1999 recovered much of the original colour. On the opposite wall is Donato Montorfano’s Crucifixion of 1495.

Visitor Information

Visits to the Last Supper are only by reservation, in groups of up to 40 people for 15 minutes. Tickets are released in blocks every three months and often sell out quickly, so book as soon as sales open on the official website, by phone or through a guided tour. Each person can buy up to five named tickets a year; collect them at the ticket office at least 30 minutes before your slot, and leave large bags at the hotel, as only small lockers are available.

A ticket costs €15; visitors aged 18–25 pay €2 and under-18s enter free, but everyone must book. On the first Sunday of the month entry is free, with tickets released online from noon on the previous Wednesday. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 8:15 to 19:00 (last entry 18:45) and is closed on Mondays, 1 January and 25 December.

The church and the Last Supper Museum are on Piazza di Santa Maria delle Grazie, off Corso Magenta, a 5-minute walk from Conciliazione metro station (M1) and 10 minutes from Cadorna (M1, M2), which is about 10 minutes by metro from Milano Centrale. Tram 16 stops right in front of the church, and the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio and the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology are within walking distance.