The Medici Chapels with Michelangelo sculptures in the San Lorenzo church complex form the mausoleum for the most powerful and best-known family in Renaissance Florence.
The mausoleum of the Medici family in Florence is not surprisingly a grand affair. The second largest cupola in Florence covers the huge Chapel of the Princes (Capella Dei Principi) while colorful marble and precious stones decorate the walls in High Renaissance opulence. For many, the main reason to visit is to see the sculptures by Michelangelo in the New Sacristy. Although Michelangelo abandoned the project, only half done, the Medici Chapels still have the largest number of sculptures by Michelangelo in Florence.
Time-slot reservation tickets are sensible during the high season. Guided tours are available.
Visitor Tips: See 2026: Opening Hours of Top Museums and Churches for the latest ticket and visitor information for Florence’s top sights. The FirenzeCard may offer savings, while the Turbopass Florence City Pass includes reservations for the Uffizi and Accademia.
Mausoleum Chapels of the Medici Family in Florence
San Lorenzo was the local parish church of the Medici family, for centuries the most powerful and richest family in Firenze. A visit to the Cappelle Medicee includes three main sights: the crypt, the chapel of the princes, and the new sacristy. (The Secret Room of Michelangelo is separate — the expensive tickets are very hard to book.)
Further Medici tombs are in the old sacristy and in the crypt under the crossing of the main church — these are seen as part of a visit to the San Lorenzo basilica.
Admission to the Medici Chapels is from the Piazza di Madonna degli Aldobrandini on the northeast side of the basilica. Opening hours and admission tickets are completely separate from the rest of the San Lorenzo complex.
Old Crypt of the Medici Mausoleum in Florence
Tourists enter directly into the old crypt (Crypta medicea, sometimes Crypte del Buontalenti) with the remains of the Medicis. The monumental sarcophagi elsewhere in the complex are usually empty. Many of the memorial slabs here are only from the 19th century, when the crypt was somewhat tidied up — minor Medicis often did not receive any special funeral monuments.
The dusty displays here are mostly unimportant. The highlights of the visit are the new sacristy and the large chapel on the higher level.
If visiting first thing in the morning, or when things appear quiet, head for the New Sacristy (Sagrestia Nuova) first. The much larger Chapel of the Princes (Cappella dei Principi) handles groups much more easily.
Chapel of the Medici Princes in San Lorenzo
The monumental Capella Dei Principi (Chapel of the Princes) is the main mausoleum for the Medici family. It was commissioned by Cosimo I in 1568, but construction only started in 1602 after a design by Matteo Nigetti was selected.
Construction dragged on, and the chapel was only completed in the 20th century, long after the once illustrious family became extinct. Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici (1667-1743), the last Medici, decreed that the chapel should remain open to the public for eternity. (She also left much of the Uffizi gallery, other art, and palaces to the state.)
The octagonal chapel is 28 m (about 92 ft) wide but an impressive 59 m (almost 200 ft) high. It is this cupola, rather than the crossing of the nave and transept of the basilica, that is the most recognizable feature of the church when viewed from a distance.
The walls of the chapel are clad with polychrome marble and precious stones to leave no area unadorned. The material used in the decorations includes marble, multicolored granite, jasper, alabaster, and lapis lazuli, and even coral and mother-of-pearl. The six monumental sarcophagi are empty, and only two of the planned six portrait sculptures were ever completed.
The effect is in stark contrast to the elegance of the early Renaissance bare walls that Brunelleschi preferred for the nave and old sacristy of San Lorenzo. The High Renaissance chapel of the princes reflected the taste of the period. The Medicis liked the effect enough to use the chapel as a reception room for dignitaries and for wedding celebrations.
The altar of painted wood and inlay is from 1938. It was installed for a visit by Adolf Hitler and remained in place ever since. This is not digital photo color saturation — the colors really are bright.
Cupola of the Chapel of the Princes
The painting inside the dome is by Pietro Benvenuti (1828) — the original plans called for a simpler but lavish lapis lazuli cover.
The main scenes are of the Creation, the Fall (Original sin), the Death of Abel, the Sacrifice of Noah, the Nativity, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, and the Last Judgment. Note the smaller details in some of the panels, such as the parading peacock and leopard in the Garden of Eden.
Among the items in the odd display cases are a papal tiara and staff used by Pope Leo X, a Medici. Also on display is a very impressive “Bandinella” — a processional banner adorned with the Medici coat of arms and a gift from Pope Leo to San Lorenzo. It is 500 years old.
Michelangelo’s New Sacristy in San Lorenzo
A narrow passage leads to the new sacristy (Sagrestia Nuova) designed by Michelangelo. This was his first architectural project in 1519 on commission from Pope Clement VII, the second Medici pope. It is at the opposite end of the transept to Brunelleschi’s old sacristy, which has tombs of even earlier Medicis. (The old sacristy is accessible for visitors from inside the Basilica of San Lorenzo.)
Michelangelo Sculptures in the Medici Chapels
The new sacristy was supposed to have four monumental grave monuments. However, Michelangelo left for Rome in 1534, and the project was left incomplete. As a result, the two completed monumental tombs are for two relatively unimportant members of the Medici family:
Duke of Urbino with Dawn and Dusk
Lorenzo (1492-1519), Duke of Urbino and nephew of Pope Leo X, is portrayed by Michelangelo in deep thought, as Machiavelli’s Prince. The allegories on the sarcophagus are a rather muscular female Dawn waking from sleep and a tired Dusk about to fall asleep. The face of the male Dusk is rather rough to emphasize tiredness.
Duke of Nemours with Day and Night
Guiliano (1478-1516), Duke of Nemours and brother of Pope Leo X, is portrayed by Michelangelo as a military captain. He is flanked by the reclining statue of Day — a powerful male with an unfinished face — and Night, a young sleeping woman with a head inspired by classic Greek sculptures.
Sepulcher for Lorenzo the Magnificent with Madonna and Child
A Madonna and Child by Michelangelo decorates the sepulcher for Lorenzo the Magnificent (died 1492) and his brother Giuliano (killed during the Pazzi conspiracy in 1478). The intended, more elaborate tombs were never created.
Vasari placed statues of the Medici patron saints on either side in 1554. On the left, Saint Cosmas by Giovan Angelo da Montorsoli, and on the right, Saint Damian by Raffaello da Montelupo. Both sculptors were pupils of Michelangelo.
Military Trophies of Arms
In the passage leading to the new sacristy are two military trophies designed by Michelangelo. They were carved by his student Silvio Cosini, who was considered an ingenious sculptor of bizarre subjects.
Such trophies were popular in antiquity to boast of the defeat of a foe and were supposed to have extolled the military glory of the Medicis.
The trophies were intended as part of the decorations for the New Sacristy but were never installed as Michelangelo changed the designs and finally abandoned the project when moving to Rome in 1534.
Visitor Information for the Medici Chapels in Florence
New Opening Hours for the Medici Chapels in 2026
The opening hours and tickets of the Medici Chapels are completely independent from other sights in the San Lorenzo complex.
Opening hours of the Medici Chapel are 8:15 to 18:50 from Tuesday to Sunday. The chapel is closed on Mondays, 25 December and 1 January.
(The change in closing day from Tuesday to Monday is from mid-March 2026. Many guidebooks still have the old information.)
New Ticket Options in 2026
Admission to the Medici Chapels is fairly pricy at €11 (free for under 18s, €2 for EU nationals 18 to 25). Online tickets include time-slot reservations but add €3 per ticket, including free tickets.
The Medici Chapel is open for free on the first Sunday of the month. On free admission days, no entry tickets or reservations are possible. Queue up at the entrance.
It is possible to see more sculptures for the same price in the Bargello Museum. However, the Medici Chapel has the largest number of Michelangelo sculptures in Florence.
A better deal is to visit the Medici Chapel on combination tickets, or museum passes:
- A new official combination ticket for €38 includes time-slot reservations for the Galleria dell’Accademia (home of Michelangelo’s David) and skip-the-line entry within 72 hours to the five Bargello museums (Bargello Museum, Medici Chapels, Orsanmichele, Palazzo Davanzati, and Casa Martelli).
- The Firenze Card, the official Florence museum pass, is valid at the Medici Chapel as a skip-the-line ticket. Go straight to the entrance after the security check.
Time-slot reservations are possible and worth the extra charge during the high season. Guided tours are also available and often include further Medici sights in Florence.
The official seller of all Bargello museum tickets is currently B Ticket.
Tickets to see the secret room of Michelangelo (“Stanza segreta di Michelangelo”) are €32, with reservations absolutely essential. Only 4 visitors are allowed in every 15 minutes, and tickets sell out weeks and months in advance. At least, availability is now easy to check on the B ticket website.
