# Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan > Santa Maria delle Grazie is a 15th-century Dominican church whose convent refectory holds Leonardo's Last Supper. The church itself is free and beautiful: a brick and terracotta façade, Donato Bramante's luminous domed tribune and a small cloister. Allow 20–30 minutes. Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/santa-maria-delle-grazie - City: [Milan](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan), Italy - YesGo score: 53/100 (Yes, go) - Time on site: 30 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free (the church) - The Last Supper: Separate, timed reservation - Opening hours: Mornings and afternoons, closed midday - Highlights: Bramante's tribune, the cloister, frescoes - Time needed: 20–30 minutes - Metro: Conciliazione (M1), 5 minutes - Coordinates: 45.46583, 9.17111 - Facts checked: 11.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1463–1482** — built by Guiniforte Solari for the Dominicans (source: English Wikipedia) - **1492** — Bramante began the new domed tribune (source: English Wikipedia) - **Ludovico il Moro** — patron of the tribune and the Last Supper (source: English Wikipedia) - **1980** — church and refectory joined the UNESCO list (source: UNESCO World Heritage List, no. 93) - **Chiostrino** — Bramante's small cloister beside the church (source: English Wikipedia) ## A short history The church and convent were built for the **Dominicans** in **1463–1482** to designs by **Guiniforte Solari** — a Gothic brick church trimmed with terracotta, named after a miraculous image of Our Lady of Graces venerated in a small chapel here. Then Duke **Ludovico Sforza**, "il Moro", decided to make it his family's great shrine. In **1492** architect **Donato Bramante** — later the first designer of St Peter's in Rome — pulled down the old apse and raised a new **tribune with a vast dome**, while in the refectory next door **Leonardo da Vinci** painted the [Last Supper](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/last-supper). ## Gothic meets Renaissance You can see the two eras from outside. The long **nave** and façade are Lombard Gothic — warm red brick, round windows and terracotta patterns — while Bramante's **Renaissance tribune** rises above them as a pale, many-sided drum ringed with arches. Inside, the contrast is even stronger: the dark, painted Gothic nave opens into a bright, airy space under the dome, all circles and squares. ## What to see inside Side chapels hold **frescoes** from the 15th and 16th centuries; the most revered is the **Chapel of Our Lady of Graces** with the image that gave the church its name. From the left of the tribune you can step into Bramante's **small cloister** (chiostrino), a quiet colonnaded garden with a fine view of the dome. The Last Supper is entered not from the church but from the square to its left, and only with a timed ticket. No ticket? The church belongs to the same UNESCO site and is well worth the visit on its own. During Mass visitors are asked not to walk the nave, so weekday mornings are best. ## What to see - **Bramante's tribune** — the light-filled space under the dome. - **The façade** — Lombard Gothic brick and terracotta. - **The small cloister** — a colonnaded courtyard. - **Chapel of Our Lady of Graces** — with its revered image. - **Nave frescoes** — 15th–16th century. - **The dome outside** — best seen from the square. > **Leonardo's vineyard across the road** Opposite, the Casa degli Atellani keeps the garden where Ludovico gave Leonardo a vineyard in 1498. The vines have been replanted from the old variety, and the house and garden are open with a ticket — easy to add before or after the Last Supper. ## How to get there 1. Metro M1 to **Conciliazione**, 5 minutes on foot. 2. Metro M1 or M2 to **Cadorna**, 10 minutes on foot. 3. Tram 16 from [Piazza del Duomo](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/piazza-del-duomo) to the Santa Maria delle Grazie stop. 4. From the [Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/sant-ambrogio), 10 minutes' walk. ## Is Santa Maria delle Grazie worth it? Yes, especially if you're seeing the Last Supper: the church is next door, free, and shows who Leonardo was working for and when. Even without a refectory ticket, come for Bramante's tribune — one of the finest pieces of early Renaissance architecture in Milan. Cover shoulders and knees, and note the midday closure. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Cover shoulders and knees - [ ] Check hours — closed at midday - [ ] Book the Last Supper if you haven't - [ ] Find the way into the small cloister - [ ] Visit the Casa degli Atellani opposite ## Milan's churches: compare and choose Churches and basilicas in Milan rated by YesGo. - [The Last Supper](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/last-supper) — YesGo score 72/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Paid, booking only - [Milan Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/milan-cathedral) — YesGo score 63/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · Paid - [Santa Maria delle Grazie](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/santa-maria-delle-grazie) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free - [Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/sant-ambrogio) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free ## Leonardo and the Renaissance The Last Supper by reservation, Santa Maria delle Grazie, the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio and Sforza Castle. 1. [The Last Supper](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/last-supper) — YesGo score 72/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Paid, booking only 2. [Santa Maria delle Grazie](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/santa-maria-delle-grazie) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free 3. [Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/sant-ambrogio) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free 4. [Sforza Castle](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/sforza-castle) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Courtyards free, museums paid ## Don't mix it up Santa Maria delle Grazie is the church; the Last Supper is in the former refectory next door, with its own entrance and ticket. Milan has other Santa Marias too, such as Santa Maria presso San Satiro near the Duomo. ## Tips - The church is free. - The refectory has its own entrance. - Step into the small cloister. - Leonardo's vineyard is opposite. ## Questions ### Is Santa Maria delle Grazie free? Yes, the church is free; the Last Supper needs a separate timed ticket. ### Where is the Last Supper in Santa Maria delle Grazie? In the former refectory to the left of the church, entered from the square. ### Who built Santa Maria delle Grazie? Guiniforte Solari in 1463–1482; Donato Bramante added the domed tribune from 1492. ### How long does a visit take? 20–30 minutes. ### What is Leonardo's vineyard? The garden of the Casa degli Atellani opposite, where Leonardo was given a vineyard in 1498; open with a ticket. ## How we checked History and architecture from English Wikipedia and UNESCO. Opening hours weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia, Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan - UNESCO World Heritage List, no. 93 --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.