Cappelle Medicee

You can witness the Medici’s influence from their art commissions like the Duomo’s dome but you can witness the Medici’s power only from the Medici Chapels.
As a part of San Lorenzo Basilica, the Medici Chapels are the final resting places for many Medicis including the prominent Lorenzo il Magnifico. Perhaps nothing better personifies the Medici’s peak power than the super-​imposing Hall of Princes, constructed by Cosimo I when he earned the Grand Duke of Tuscany title for the family. The authoritative Hall is so massive that a dot on the six-​dot Medici emblem on the wall can probably kill you if it fell! While you are awed by the grand scale of this hall that commemorated the Medici ancestors, be sure to look up at the beautiful colorful dome fresco that is especially vibrant in the dark hall.
However, the headliner is actually the smaller and older «New Sacristy» in the back — Designed by Michelangelo! Like Basilica di Santa Croce, the New Sacristy displays a bright optimistic celebration to the existence of the greats despite being a mini-​mausoleum. Take a moment to admire Michelangelo’s beautiful sculptures that represents various stages of the day: Dawn and Dusk, Day and Night.
Unfortunately, Michelangelo did not complete this project and ironically, the most important tomb — the one of Lorenzo il Magnifico — was especially bare compared to the ones of his lesser peers.
Anyway, despite being located in central Florence, Medici Chapels is relatively a «hidden gem» as not many people go, but I think this is a must-​go destination! Only here can you truly feel the power of the Medicis and see so many of Michelangelo’s intimate works.
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LOGISTICS
–Medici Chapels’ entrance is behind the basilica
–Admission is separate from the basilica’s
–Firenze Card works here
–All must go through airport security
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tl;dr version:
1) Best example of Renaissance tomb that displays Medici’s power
2) Get personal with Michelangelo’s magnificent sculptures

Nice staff who arranged for me to use elevator. Beautiful Michelangelo cravings in tombs of night and day, dawn and sunset then over the top marble and precious stone marquetry in a chapel the size of a church built by Cosmo Medicee (the man) for his destiny.

Loved this spot. Stopped in for a quick bite… Pizza, tiramisu and a glass of chianti– everything was delicious.

DIe Medici-​Kapellen sind ein echtes Werk der Hochrenaissance und wenn man in der Fürstenkapelle steht, kann man meiner Meinung nach nur staunen. Der riesige, hohe Raum, die massiven Grabmonumente — etwas, was ich so noch nicht gesehen habe.
Die Gräber in der neuen Sakristei mit den Figuren des Michelangelo waren auch extrem sehenswert, was aber von vielen als das Highlight beschrieben wird, immerhin sind sie neben dem David die berühmtesten Werke Michelangelos aus seiner Zeit in Florenz.
Ich fand den Besuch hier zwar als absolutes Highlight, dennoch muss ich einen Stern abziehen. Nicht weil ich irgendwas unspannend fand, nicht weil es zu teuer war, sondern wegen der komplizierten Öffnungszeiten, die uns etwas Nerven gekostet haben. Aber am Schluss haben wir es ja doch geschafft. Und es hat sich gelohnt.

This place has many amazing treasures of the Medicee family. If you look closely, many of the treasures actually had a piece of bone or hair in it… I’m guessing these parts belong to the Medicee family. It is really beautiful, yet creepy at the same time. I loved the Medicee family tree, I took a picture of it and analyzed the names so I could match it to the faces.
I definitely had to visit to see Michelangelo’s «night & day» and «dawn & dusk» that I kept reading about. This is a must see with my own two eyes! What a beauty. The old sacristy is under repair because some stone fell. years ago.
If you have time, definitely stop by here. It is part of the San Lorenzo basilica, but it requires separate entrance fees.
It took me about 40 – 45 minutes to finish. I spent more time analyzing Michelangelo’s work.

I visited the Medici Chapels a couple of years ago — tried to visit again this past summer but couldn’t find the entrance :$ Admission was supposed to be included with the Firenze Card but we were told otherwise when we arrived.
In any event, when I did visit, I was blown away. Every room is incredibly ornate with so many details everywhere you look. The story of the Medicis is fascinating, and a visit to the chapels is a must in Florence.

Really cool place. Also one of the most fascinating places of historical significance in all of Europe.

Cappelle Medicee «Medici Chapels» are the two chapels located in the Basilica of San Lorenzo that hold the personal tombs of Florence’s great ruling Medici family. These chapels are the most grandest and recognized structures of San Lorenzo and date back to the 16^th and 17^th century. The chapels are divided into three separate sections: the crypt, the Sagrestia Nuova «New Sacristy», and the Cappella dei Principi «Chapel of the Princes». Minor members of the Medici family are buried in the crypt.
The statues in the smaller chapel, Sagrestia Nuova «New Sacristy», were designed and carved by Michelangelo from 1520 to 1534. In 1534 Michelangelo fell out of favor with Alessandro Medici, Duke of Florence. Fearing for his life, Michelangelo fled to Rome, leaving his assistants to complete the Sagrestia Nuova. The Medici family had initially planned for four tombs to be built in Sagrestia Nuova, but the chapel only houses two large tombs for Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino and Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. Their more famous predecessors, Lorenzo the Magnificent and his brother, Giuliano, are buried beneath the altar at the entrance wall.
The second and larger chapel, Cappella dei Principi «Chapel of the Princes», was built in the 17^th century. The dome was designed by Buontalenti and construction begun in 1604, but was not completed until the 20^th century. Six grand dukes from the Medici family are buried in this chapel. The interior of the chapel is covered in precious stones, marble, and bronze statues. It took three centuries to cover the walls with stones due to the difficulties working with the stones and the high cost of the extravagant materials. The cupola should have been covered in deep blue semi-​precious stones, but it was too costly so instead the cupola was frescoed by Pietro Benvenuti with scenes from the Old and New Testaments at the command of the reigning house of Lorraine.

This Monument of Medici contains wonderful Michelangelo’s allegorical statues. The building itself is stunning. Much construction/​restoration work was underway so I had to opt out of visiting inside. The Medici Chapels are at the back of the Basilica di San Lorenzo and are a separate attraction from the church both require a separate admission fees.

While in Florence we had purchased the Firenze card as it was a great savings and included all the place we had wanted to visit and more. The Medici Chapel fell under the more. This wasn’t something topping my Florence itinerary but we had some time so we took at stop inside. It was a nice treat and quite beautiful. The Michelangelo’s sculptures were incredible and it was so nice to see one of this many masterpieces without crowds of people. Not sure how much it costs to enter the chapel but I would say it was definitely a nice bonus to the Firenze card.

It has been under restoration since 1999 and probably will be so for a long time further. Admire the the ceiling of the dome (fully visible), than head to Michelangelo’s sacristy for his masterpiece tombs containing the world-​renowned sculptures of Dawn, Dusk, Day and Night. Those are the true reasons to visit, as is the architecture of the room they are located in, simple yet perfectly proportioned.
The bottom floor contains a nice collection of reliquaries and other religious decorative objects (most baroque) though they pale in comparison to those in the silver museum of the Pitti Palace.