Medicis Chapels in Florence

Learn and visit this stunning place that represents the history of Florence and the Medici Family.

The Medicee Chapels are located within the Basilica of St. Lawrence in Florence and were built as extensions of Brunelleschi's 15th-century church to celebrate the Medici family, who were patrons of the church and Grand Dukes of Tuscany.

The chapels are divided into two main structures: the Sagrestia Nuova (New Sacristy), designed by Michelangelo as a mausoleum or mortuary chapel for members of the Medici family, and the Chapel of the Princes (Cappella dei Principi). There is also the crypt and the Treasury.

The architecture was completed in 1524, with its white walls and pietra serena interior based on Brunelleschi's designs. Entering from the back of the Church of São Lourenço, the chapels are divided into three distinct parts: the crypt, the Princes' Chapel and the New Sacristy.

Medicee Chapels are made up of three main sections:

The Crypt and the Treasury The visit to the Medicee Chapels begins in the crypt, where the tombs of the Medici Grand Dukes and their families are located, from Cosimo I and his wife Eleanor of Toledo, Giancarlo de' Medici and Vitória della Rovere to the last heiress of the Medici dynasty, the venerated Ana Maria Luísa, to whom Florence owes the protection of many of its treasures.
The New Sacristy The New Sacristy was built by Michelangelo between 1520 and 1534 and is a testimony that the Medici were enlightened patrons. Michelangelo worked on the development of the sarcophagus sculptures, but only completed the statues of Dukes Lorenzo and Giuliano, the allegories of Dawn and Twilight, the group of the Madonna and Child, Night and Day, placed above the sarcophagus of the two "magnificent" and flanked by Saints Cosmas and Damian. The monuments were created by Montorsoli and Baccio di Montelupo, disciples of Michelangelo.
The Chapel of the Princes The Cappella dei Principi was built by Matteo Nigetti between 1604 and 1640, following the designs of Don Giovanni de' Medici, a member of the family who practiced architecture semi-professionally. This mausoleum is a rare example of the Baroque style, and its enormous dome and sumptuous interior were designed as monuments to the Medici's greatness.