The
Medici Chapels form part of a monumental complex
developed over almost two centuries in close connection
with the adjoining church of S. Lorenzo, considered
the “official” church of the Medici,
who chose it at the time they lived in the neighbouring
palace of Via Larga (now Medici-Riccardi Palace,
see the related section). The decision to build
their mausoleum in this church dates back to the
14th century (Giovanni di Bicci and his wife Piccarda
were for instance buried in the Old Sacristy,
built on a project of Brunelleschi). The project
of building a proper family mausoleum was conceived
in 1520, when Michelangelo started working at
the New Sacristy upon request of Cardinal Giulio
de’ Medici, the future Pope Clemens VII,
who expressed the desire to erect a mausoleum
on behalf of some members of his family: Lorenzo
the Magnificent and his brother Giuliano, Lorenzo
Duke of Urbino and Giuliano, Duke of Nemours.
After completing the architectural works in 1524,
Michelangelo worked until 1533 on the sculptures
that would have decorated the walls and the very
original sarcophagi. The only ones actually completed
were the statues of Lorenzo Duke of Urbino and
of Giuliano Duke of Nemours, in addition to the
allegories of Day and Night, Dawn and Dusk, and
the group representing the Madonna with Child
flanked by Saints Cosma and Damian (protectors
of the Medici), executed respectively by Montorsoli
and Baccio da Montelupo, both pupils of Buonarroti.
The solid and articulated architectural structure
and the strength of Michelangelo's sculptures
clearly reflect a complex symbolism that offers
an interpretation of Human Life where active and
contemplative life interact to free the soul after
death, following a philosophical concept that
was closely linked with Michelangelo's spirituality.
Numerous drawings by Michelangelo were found in
a small space beneath the apse. They had been
drawn, as often occurred, by the artist and may
be related to the statues and architecture of
the Sacristy.
The Chapel of the Princes
This Chapel is yet another grandiose and pompous
mausoleum erected between 1604 and 1640 by the
architect Matteo Nigetti to the designs of Giovanni
de’ Medici, a member of the family who
practised architecture in a semi-professional
manner. The Mausoleum was conceived to celebrate,
with its large dome and lavish interior decorated
with marbles, the power of the Medici dynasty,
which had safely been ruling Florence for several
centuries. The octagonal room designed to receive
the bodies of the grand dukes is in fact almost
entirely decorated with semi-precious stones
and marbles. The grand ducal sarcophagi are
completed with bronze statues and inserted in
niches. The inlay of the semi-precious stones,
partially executed by the extremely skilled
workers employed in the laboratories of the
Opificio delle Pietre dure (see the related
section) took several centuries to be completed
due to the difficulty of finding these materials,
available only at a very high cost.
The dome should have originally had an internal
coating of lapis lazuli but was left incomplete
at the end of the Medici period and frescoed
in 1828 by Pietro Benvenuti with scenes of the
New and Old Testament at command of the reigning
Lorraine family.
