The Cappelle Medicee is the highly decorated burial place of the historic Medici family. The lavish funeral chapels form part of the adjoining San Lorenzo church complex and are considered a national monument and symbolic of the city’s art and history.
The Basilica of San Lorenzo was the official church of the Medici family as they lived in the neighbouring palace, ‘Medici-Riccardi’. During the 1500’s the decision was made to build a family mausoleum, and Michelangelo undertook the construction of the New Sacristy featuring the tombs of Lorenzo and Giuliano de’ Medici, which are noted as being sculptural masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance.
Built by architect Matteo Nigetti, work on the magnificent ‘Chapel of the Princes’ began in the early 17th century to house the remains of the Medici Grand Dukes of Tuscany. The octagonal space, with its golden dome, semi-precious stones and complex marble design is simply breathtaking. The grand cupola was crafted by Buontalenti and originally was planned to have a covering of lapis lazuli (a deep blue semi-precious stone) but was left incomplete and instead was frescoed in 1828 by Pietro Benvenuti with scenes from the Old and New Testaments, making it in my opinion, even more extraordinary!
The space is, for Florence, a rare display of Baroque design and the extravagant interior reflects the Medici dynasty’s greatness, status and recognition, with six of the dukes buried within the grand sarcophagi and niches lining the walls.
Within the two narrow rooms connected to the chapel and within the crypt below you will discover many hidden treasures and sacred objects from Lorenzo the Magnificent’s collection. Displayed in illuminated glass cabinets you can admire many cherished reliquaries, which are small shrines holding the relics (such as bones, hair or clothing) of a saint or a prominent religious person. The design of the reliquaries are extremely beautiful, using precious silver and gold caskets with exquisite and ornate details featuring angels, sacred hearts and dragons. It is said that each reliquary holds divine healing powers and were once displayed publicly each Easter in the hope that Florentines would be forgiven for their sins. Make sure not to overlook this part of the museum as the artifacts are extremely fascinating due to the masterful craftsmanship of the goldsmithing and the intriguing history behind each object.
