The Cenacles of Florence

Art & Culture

This itinerary, featuring art and spirituality, will allow you to discover an all-Florentine anomaly: the tradition of the Cenacles (conventual places decorated with the theme of the Last Supper), which were often painted in fresco by great artists. This is a journey through the centuries that will illustrate to us the development of Florentine painting, opening the doors of unique environments located far from mass tourism.

The term "Cenacle" is commonly used to refer to the room (the Refectory) where the religious community met during meals. However, it also uses pictures for a representation of the Last Supper: an iconographic choice that was not accidental, as it allowed the community to ideally share the table with Christ and his Apostles.

In the depictions, the painters tried to condense a series of significant moments narrated in the Gospels: the announcement of the betrayal of Christ, the doubt among the Apostles, the identification of the traitor in the person of Judas, and the institution of the sacrament of the Eucharist.

It’s interesting to note the evolution of the theme from the first fourteenth-century representations (the Last Supper scenes were a marginal part of a decorative context always linked to the theme of the Passion of Christ, intuitive perspectives, rigid disposition of the diners) to the fifteenth and sixteenth-century developments. Through these, the theme gains its independence. The architectural representations are perfected in conjunction with the interactions among the various characters, their moods, and the details of the still life. As a result of his Florentine training, Leonardo da Vinci, before frescoing his Last Supper in Milan (1495), thought of this iconographic repertoire, which he developed masterfully.

Although there are a considerable number of Florentine Cenacles (painted by numerous artists, in different eras), for this tour we have selected only the most representative and that can be easily visited. This itinerary’s experience is enhanced through the FeelFlorence App.

Crédito de la foto

Direzione Regionale Musei Toscana

Información rápida

Municipios

Firenze

Etapas

the Cenacle of Santa Croce

The back wall of the Cenacle of Santa Croce (included in the regular museum itinerary) is entirely decorated with 14th-century fresco-style paintings by Taddeo Gaddi (Giotto's most important student). The Last Supper decorates the lower part of the fresco painting and is almost marginal compared to the grandiose Lignum Vitae-Tree of Life (the Crucifixion from which numerous cartouches with prophetic inscriptions come from). This is surrounded by other stories (Jesus at dinner with the Pharisee, St. Francis receiving the stigmata, St. Benedict and St. Louis of Toulouse). Traditionally, only Leonardo would break this pattern - Judas appears on this side of the table, viewed from behind, separated from all the other diners. The table’s perspective, set in a significant way, is still unknown. In the room, you can admire masterpieces such as Donatello's San Ludovico of Toulouse (a gilded bronze statue made for the church of Orsanmichele) and some fragments of frescoes (Orcagna, 14th century) that are part of the ancient decoration of the church.

Piazza di Santa Croce, 50122 Firenze FI, Italia

https://www.feelflorence.it/en/node/12126

The Cenacle of Santo Spirito

This Cenacle is accessed from the left side of the church front, whose interior is considered Brunelleschi's last masterpiece. The ancient Refectory houses the Salvatore Romano Museum, named after the famous antiquarian who donated to the City of Florence his rich collection (paintings, furniture, architectural fragments). The donation included works by Tino di Camaino, Donatello and Jacopo della Quercia. Similar to the Last Supper in Santa Croce, this Last Supper - unfortunately extremely fragmented due to the opening of this wall at the end of the nineteenth century - constitutes the lower part of a magnificent, animated Crucifixion. The fresco-style paintings were painted around 1360 by the Di Cione brothers: Andrea (Orcagna) and Nardo.

Piazza Santo Spirito, 29, 50125 Firenze FI, Italia

https://www.feelflorence.it/en/node/12191

The Cenacle of Sant'Apollonia

The first Renaissance Cenacle is a masterpiece painted in fresco style by Andrea del Castagno in 1447. The Last Supper is the main decoration on the wall (above deteriorated scenes from the Passion). The brightness, the richness of the details, and the perfection of the perspective are all striking elements of this work. The scene is set under a loggia covered by a canopy. The ceiling and floor panels are covered in a geometric pattern towards the central vanishing point. The figures are well characterized and strongly emphasized in the chiaroscuro technique, which makes them stand out against a background decorated, in trompe-l’oeil, with multicolored marble panels. This jewel remained virtually unknown to most people until the 19th century when, following the suppression of religious orders, the Benedictine convent of cloistered nuns became state property.

Via Ventisette Aprile, 1, 50129 Firenze FI, Italia

https://www.feelflorence.it/en/node/12173

The Cenacle of Ognissanti

The Cenacle is accessed through the covered walkway adjacent to the church, which houses works by Giotto, Ghirlandaio, Botticelli (The latter artist is also buried there). The large Refectory is dominated by a beautiful depiction of the Last Supper, a work of Domenico Ghirlandaio (about 1480) painted at the height of his artistic maturity. In connection with the actual architecture of the room, the painter depicts the scene below a loggia whose arches open, with an illusionistic effect towards the outside, facing a spring garden full of trees. This is all against the background of a clear sky animated by the flight of birds. All these symbolic elements refer to themes linked to the Passion of Christ, such as the magnificent peacock looking out of one of the windows. The realism of several details is also striking, such as the various objects (including glasses and glass jugs) which are set on the table, covered with a finely rendered tablecloth. The Cenacle of San Marco, also by Ghirlandaio, is an important piece of their work.

Borgo Ognissanti, 42, 50123 Firenze FI, Italia

https://www.feelflorence.it/en/node/12172

The Cenacle of Fuligno

This Cenacle was part of a convent complex originally inhabited by Franciscan nuns from Umbria (hence the name). The room was enhanced during the 15th century, thanks in part to Lorenzo the Magnificent. Perugino, painting in fresco style, depicted the Last Supper here in around 1495. When the fresco was opened to the public for the first time in the 19th century, it was initially attributed to his student Raphael. It is partly reminiscent of Ghirlandaio's Last Suppers (All Saints and St. Mark's), due to the opening in the background of a landscape. The landscape, in this case, was typically Umbrian and preceded was by a loggia decorated with grotesque figures - in which the scene of the Oration in the Garden of Gethsemane can be spotted. The figure of Judas, facing the viewer, is unique

Via Faenza, 40, 50123 Firenze FI, Italia

https://www.feelflorence.it/en/node/12171

the Cenacle of San Salvi

A 'painter without errors', as Andrea del Sarto was defined, is an artist who completed this splendid Last Supper in 1527. The monastery of San Salvi has very ancient origins. It was established in 1048 by St. John Gualbert, founder of the Order of Vallombrosa. There have been a series of extensions and embellishments, culminating in the decoration of the Refectory, dating back to the first half of the 16th century. Andrea del Sarto's fresco is in the heart of this museum, where numerous works by other artists of his period are on display. The thoughtful architectural background of the room is characterized by an unusual balcony at the top from which two figures look out, almost as if they were spectators of the scene below. Mindful of the lesson of Leonardo da Vinci (The Last Supper in Milan), Andrea del Sarto created a subtle interconnection of gestures and expressions between the diners. Christ reveals with his gesture of one hand the identity of the traitor on one side (Judas, no longer represented on this side of the table), while he turns affectionately with the other towards John, holding his hand. The harmony of the composition of the scene has a classic feel; the drapery, postures, and physiognomies reveal careful study, documented by the artist's numerous preparatory drawings. Yet, the chromatic iridescence, derived from Michelangelo, is already mannerist (Andrea was a master of Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino). The Last Supper at San Salvi inspired Alessandro Allori for his Last Supper (1582) in the Carmine complex.

Via di S. Salvi, 16, 50135 Firenze FI, Italia

https://www.feelflorence.it/en/node/12174