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Medici Chapels: Michelangelo's New Sacristy and the tombs of the grand dukes

San Lorenzo was the parish church of the Medici, and they are nearly all buried in it. The two chapels at the back, one by Michelangelo and one built to outshine every tomb in Europe, are entered from the square behind and are a museum of their own.

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Tickets
From €17.75
Open
Tue to Sun, 8:15 to 18:50
Closed
Mondays, 25 Dec, 1 Jan
Allow
45 to 75 minutes

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    What to see at the Medici Chapels

    1. Night and Day

      On the tomb of Giuliano, Duke of Nemours. Night sleeps with an owl under her knee and a mask beside her. Day turns his unfinished face over his shoulder.

    2. Dawn and Dusk

      On the tomb of Lorenzo, Duke of Urbino, who sits above them with his chin on his hand, in the pose that gave him the name of the Thinker.

    3. The Medici Madonna

      The Virgin and Child that Michelangelo carved for the wall facing the altar, between the two patron saints of the family.

    4. The Chapel of the Princes

      Six huge tombs of grand dukes in porphyry and granite, and round the walls the arms of the Tuscan cities in inlaid stone. Look closely: every leaf and letter is a separate piece.

    5. The crypt

      The visit begins among the floor slabs of the lesser Medici, among them Anna Maria Luisa, the last of the line, who left the family's collections to Florence.

    6. The secret room

      Under the sacristy is a narrow room found in 1975, its walls covered with charcoal drawings thought to be Michelangelo's, made when he hid here in 1530. It opened to small groups in 2023 and is booked separately.

    Tickets and tours for the Medici Chapels

    • Sold by GetYourGuide

      Florence: Reserved Entrance Ticket to the Medici Chapel

      Reserved entry to the Medici Chapels: the crypt, the Chapel of the Princes and Michelangelo's New Sacristy.

      Included

      • Reserved entry to the Medici Chapels
      • The crypt, the Chapel of the Princes and Michelangelo's New Sacristy

      From

      €17.75

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    Visiting the Medici Chapels: hours and admission

    Opening hours

    Tuesday to Sunday
    8:15 to 18:50
    • Closed on Mondays, on 25 December and on 1 January.
    • Last entry is 40 minutes before closing.
    • Michelangelo's secret room is reached by a narrow stair of twelve steps, with no lift. Children under ten are not admitted to it.

    Who gets in free

    • Everyone, on the first Sunday of each month and on 25 April, 2 June and 4 November.
    • On free days reservations are not taken.

    Getting there

    On foot
    About five minutes from Santa Maria Novella station. Five minutes from the Duomo, behind the church of San Lorenzo.
    Tram
    Lines T1 and T2 stop at Santa Maria Novella station. T2 comes from the airport.
    By car
    The old centre is a restricted traffic zone, watched by cameras. Leave the car outside it.

    Address

    Cappelle Medicee
    Piazza di Madonna degli Aldobrandini 6
    50123 Florence, Italy

    Entrances

    The entrance is in Piazza di Madonna degli Aldobrandini, behind the church of San Lorenzo, and not in the church. Only small bags and backpacks are allowed in. There are a few lockers, worked by a one-euro coin that is given back.

    On the map

    Before you go

    • The entrance is not in the church. It is in Piazza di Madonna degli Aldobrandini, at the back.
    • The chapels are closed on Mondays. Last entry is forty minutes before closing.
    • The secret room takes a handful of people at a time, by a steep stair, and children under ten are not admitted. Its places go weeks ahead.
    • The church of San Lorenzo itself, by Brunelleschi, has a separate entrance and ticket. Its Old Sacristy is the model Michelangelo was answering.
    • The stalls of the leather market and the Mercato Centrale are at the door.

    One room by Michelangelo, one built to outshine it

    Michelangelo worked on the New Sacristy from 1520 until he left Florence for good in 1534. It is the one place where the architecture, the tombs and the sculpture are all his. The walls are white plaster and grey stone, cool and severe. Against them sit two young Medici dukes in Roman armour, and below each, on the curved lids of the tombs, lie two naked figures: Night and Day under one, Dawn and Dusk under the other.

    He never finished it. The face of Day is still rough from the chisel, and the two most famous Medici of all, Lorenzo the Magnificent and his murdered brother Giuliano, lie in a plain chest under a Madonna because their monument was never made.

    Next door, the Chapel of the Princes is everything the sacristy is not. Begun in 1604, it is an octagon under a great dome, every surface covered with marble, jasper, lapis lazuli and mother of pearl, cut and fitted by the grand dukes' own workshop. It took more than two centuries to complete.

    Medici Chapels: common questions

    What are the opening hours of the Medici Chapels?
    Tuesday to Sunday: 8:15 to 18:50. Closed on Mondays, on 25 December and on 1 January. Last entry is 40 minutes before closing. Michelangelo's secret room is reached by a narrow stair of twelve steps, with no lift. Children under ten are not admitted to it.
    Is the Medici Chapels ever free?
    Everyone, on the first Sunday of each month and on 25 April, 2 June and 4 November. On free days reservations are not taken.
    What does the ticket include?
    Reserved entry to the Medici Chapels. The crypt, the Chapel of the Princes and Michelangelo's New Sacristy. It is sold by GetYourGuide.
    What is in the Medici Chapels?
    The tombs of the Medici family: the New Sacristy, designed by Michelangelo with his statues of Night, Day, Dawn and Dusk, the Chapel of the Princes, lined with coloured stone, and the crypt beneath it.
    How long do the Medici Chapels take?
    Forty-five minutes to an hour. They are small, and most of the time goes in the New Sacristy.
    Can you visit Michelangelo's secret room?
    Yes, since November 2023, in small groups with a separate reservation. The room is reached by a narrow stair and the visit is short.

    What visitors say about the Medici Chapels

    Rating from Google

    4.7

    7,439 ratings on Google

    Google's figures as read on 11 October 2026.

    Read every review on Google

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