Yes Vinci Last Supper. The Last Supper of Leonardo da Vinci: the victory and defeat of a genius. Long and painstaking work on the fresco

Vyacheslav Adrov:

Announcement...

In Milan, in the church of Santa Maria della Grazie, there is a famous fresco that haunts numerous researchers of the personality of its author for hundreds of years. Since this is Leonardo himself, it is believed that there must be some secret or, at least, a riddle in his work. There are many ideas and versions about secret messages embedded in the fresco. For example, the version of Dan Brown that made a lot of noise in the art world. I, like everyone else, looked closely at the image and, what would you think - it seems to me that I understood its additional meaning (if it was laid down)! And Dan Brown's version is just a superficial reaction to the detail necessary to reflect the author's holistic intent. Moreover, the detail (effeminate figure next to Christ), which carries a completely different semantic load. No hints of Christ's life partner!

In order to preserve the emotionality and dynamics of thoughts, I decided to write down thoughts and intellectual impulses as they arise and are realized. Thus, I preserved the atmosphere of research, writing down the next portion of mental developments, I still don’t know if they will be useful in the future and, generally speaking, how will it all end? Will there be any interesting result? Therefore, in the subtitle, the genre is indicated in this way.

The riddle of the fresco by Leonardo da Vinci The Last Supper»

(detective investigation of one biased examination of a famous mural)

Part 1.

I start as usual. Returning from yet another trip organized by the 7 Peaks Club, sitting in a rocking chair, wrapped in a blanket, looking at the raging fiery tongues of the fireplace and sipping ... (insert yourself: pipe, cigar, cognac, Calvados, ...), I thought about and evaluated the results of the trip, prepared for the next one. And then I caught my eye (or surfaced in my imagination) a reproduction of the fresco "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci. As befits a normal traveler, I, of course, was in the same refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria della Grazie in Milan. And, of course, admired (and now even more so) one of greatest creations master (although almost nothing is visible on it, photo 1).

Briefly, to refresh the memory. The fresco (although, in fact, this image is not a fresco due to the peculiarities of the technology of its creation) has dimensions of 450 * 870 cm and was created in the period from 1495 to 1498 by order of Duke Ludovico Sforza and his wife, Beatrice d'Este. Due to the fact that it was not created as a typical fresco - it was painted in egg tempera on a dry wall covered with layers of resin, plaster and mastic - it began to deteriorate very early and was restored many times. At the same time, the attitude of restorers towards her was not always distinguished by such reverence as is customary now - faces and figures were getting better, various technologies for applying paint and a protective coating were used. When trying to move it to another place in 1821, it was almost destroyed. There is nothing to say about the attitude of the French invaders towards it, who set up an armory in the monastery and prisoners of the prison (there was such an episode in the history of the refectory).

A little about the plot. He is inspired biblical history about the last joint dinner of Jesus with the disciples, at which he said that one of those present would betray him. According to most art historians, Leonardo's work most expressively of all similar works on this plot conveys the degree of emotional reaction of the apostles to these words of Jesus.

How long has this fresco existed (more than 500 years), how many years have researchers and interpreters been studying this work, finding or trying to find secret signs, symbols, riddles, messages, ... Here is the surprise at the quality of the transmitted perspective, evidence of the use of the golden section, the search for the mystery of the number 3 (3 windows, 3 groups of apostles, a triangle of the figure of Christ). Someone sees on the fresco the image of Mary Magdalene (with the female symbol V and the symbol M associated with her name - this is about Dan Brown), or John the Baptist with his favorite gesture - raised up index finger. All this is interesting to me, but not very much. As our man - an engineer - Leonardo must be practical, although the historical situation makes its own adjustments to the need to use the "Aesopian language", and he could leave DATE on his work! What? This is his choice, but the date is important for himself or for the whole world of the event. And I started looking for her in the image!

Let me remind you that the most reliable way of fixing dates, which does not depend on the systems of chronology, calendar reforms, the duration of the reigns of kings and dukes, the founding and destruction of cities, and even setting the date of the creation of the World, is by the stars, i.e., drawing up a horoscope! And this method was widely used not only in the Middle Ages. You may ask why I suddenly decided that there might be a date on the image? It seems to me that the author gladly used the chic chance associated with the number 12. 12 hours, 12 months, 12 signs of the Zodiac, 12 apostles, ... Well, I'll tell you about the horoscope. It uniquely determines the date if the positions of even seven planets visible to the naked eye in the constellations at the time of observation are indicated. Repetitions of such combinations are very rare and happen after hundreds of thousands of years! (With a smaller number of precisely indicated planets, the repetition period is shorter, but still there are very good chances to accurately indicate the date on the historical period.) Since, modern calculation methods, based on the laws of celestial mechanics, allow you to restore the position of the planets in the sky at any time, then to determine the date, it remains only to correctly set the initial data - that is, the location of the planets according to the constellations on the desired day.

So, I start to peer and consider.

Apostles. Most likely (due to their number) these are symbols of the signs of the zodiac. But how can the signs be distributed among the characters, to whom which sign corresponds? Several remarks immediately arise.

On many images of this plot, including icons, judging by appearance characters, not only the seating order is inconsistent, but they also sit in a row, then in a circle, then in groups, that is, there seems to be no canonical order (traditional). For a long time, they could not identify all the characters on the image of Leonardo. Only four (out of 13!) were reliably identified: Judas, John, Peter and Christ. Allegedly, in the 19th century, the diaries of Leonardo himself were “discovered” and everything was determined (there were also clues in the form of signatures under the characters on some modern fresco copies of it). Due to the dynamic arrangement of the figures - their “mixing”, “peeping out” friend - there is a possibility that the constellations (if any) do not follow the zodiac order.

One way or another, in accordance with the prevailing ideas, the fresco depicts (from left to right, in the order of the location of the PERSONS):

Bartholomew, Jacob Alfeev, Andrew, Judas Iscariot, Peter, John, Jesus Christ, Thomas, Jacob Zevedeev, Philip, Matthew, Judas Thaddeus, Simon.

In order to identify signs by which it would be possible to recognize hints of zodiac signs in the apostles, I tried to collect available factual information about the biographies of the characters, while not knowing which of this might come in handy (table 1):

Their other names and nicknames;

The order of the call by Christ (only the first four are known);

Approximate age based on visual assessment of images (more from a copy by an unknown artist (photo2);

The degree of kinship with Christ and other apostles (who is interested in this topic - I recommend literature, except, of course, the Gospels: James D. Tabor "Jesus Dynasty" (AST, 2007), Michael Baigent "Jesus Papers" (Eksmo, 2008), Robert Ambelain " Jesus or the Deadly Secrets of the Templars" (Eurasia, 2005), V. G. Nosovsky, A. T. Fomenko "The Tsar of the Slavs" (Neva, 2005), "Apocryphal Tales (Patriarchs, Prophets and Apostles)" edited by V. Vitkovsky (Amphora, 2005));

The occupation of the apostles before their ministry;

circumstances of death;

Location of the graves and relics of the apostles.

I suggest that those who wish to clarify and add details to complete the table more fully - this is very entertaining, and the information may come in handy.

Searching for information to complete this table was a very interesting and educational process, but it did not come up with any ideas that I needed!

We continue. Since Leonardo arranged the apostles in groups of 3 people, and even mixed them there, then maybe the order of the signs is unimportant for him? Suddenly, if we beat these triplets - these are groupings of signs according to the types of elements ?! Fire, earth, air, water? And what - 4 groups of 3 characters! Or maybe it is necessary to take into account the figure of Christ as a sign of the zodiac, and generally exclude Judas from consideration!? Indeed, in almost all the images of the Last Supper, the artists separated Judas from the rest - either painted with very dark colors, or turned his face away from the viewer, or, as on icons, deprived him, unlike the rest, of a halo. And then - what sign can depict the figure of Christ? Maybe his sign is Capricorn? Then it seems that the division into groups is violated and the division into groups itself loses its meaning (if it exists). Yes, and Judas by Leonardo visual means not very underestimated. He, like 7 (!) of the 12 other apostles, is depicted in profile, but only slightly more turned away from the viewer.

We will continue to consider the details of the image. Objects on the table: maybe there are hints somewhere - the filling and position of glasses, the position of breads, plates, salt shakers, other items, ...? Elements, clothing colors,…? Hairstyles, the degree of gray hair, the presence and length of the beard, ...? Stop! Beard! There are seven visible planets and those known before the invention of Galileo's tube, together with the Sun and the Moon, and more - Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Thus, the maximum number of pointers to the planets is 7. We count the beards: in total, different lengths, there are 8 of them. Together with the beard of Jesus. But maybe his beard shouldn't count? I wonder who then the Sun, if not him?! We go further - hands. Who is holding what? Maybe some combinations on the fingers? Their mutual position? We fill in the table further so that it is constantly in front of our eyes. Maybe not right away, but something will open up?

I rock in my chair, sipping... Or maybe the bearded ones are still planets, and, for example, some kind of comet? But, after all, two of the seven planets are feminine: Venus and the Moon, it is somehow difficult to associate them with beards too. Let's take a closer look at the apostles: the artist gave two figures a clear effeminateness: John and Philip - both faces and poses with crossed arms. Maybe this is an allusion to the "female planets"? Again I rock in my chair: Leonardo da Vinci during his lifetime was not going to be famous for centuries and painted the fresco for the Customer and his contemporaries, so that with a slight mental strain they could understand his additional message (except for semantic and aesthetic).

What's in Judas' hand? Yes, and Peter? No, Judas, apparently, has a bag of pieces of silver, which he will soon receive, and Peter has a knife, probably as a symbol of his future (ostentatious?) determination in the process of detaining Jesus. All this is semantic attributes.

Still, it must be determined. I put forward a hypothesis. The viewer's gaze is instinctively drawn to the figure of Jesus - this is God, this is the Sun! By right hand from him - a young, but very energetic and aggressive man (John), whom Jesus, like his brother - Jacob Zevedeev - called Boanerges (Boanerges) - apparently, "very, doubly energetic"! They reacted very aggressively and sometimes with anger to injustice, humiliation and insults and to things that did not go the way they would like! Moreover, completely in the style of Caucasians, so that Christ had to restrain them! (this is where the pre-collected information in table1 came in handy -

This implies that they had the appropriate hormonal background and secondary sexual characteristics. And how do we see this aggressive person in Leonardo - yes, this is a humble girl, such that some ( Dan Brown) she is considered a woman - Mary Magdalene! With such a clear discrepancy, Leonardo hints - this is the constellation Virgo! And now once again let's pay attention to Jacob Zevedeev, whose figure (and NOT the FACE) is the closest to the left of Christ. He spread his hands in different directions. According to commentators, he restrains the apostles who emotionally perceived the words of Christ (or, perhaps, physically protects Jesus from a possible uncontrolled release of energy (this is it, Voanerges!). And what do I see? With his divorced hands, he looks like ... Libra! !! Then it turns out that Jesus the Sun is between the constellations Virgo and Libra! And all the signs are lined up in in the usual way- from Aries to Pisces! Where are the rest of the planets besides the Sun? I get up to move to the rocking chair. I glance at the spread out tables, printouts of frescoes. Mama mia! (I hit myself on the forehead!) Yes, here they are, the signs of the planets!!! Just obvious! In the most visible place! No breaking your head! I'll write right away. Oh, the ink in the pen is over! I'll go fill the pen, well, I'll sway a little in my chair. Wait?

I draw your attention - since we identified Jacob the Elder with Libra, this means that the constellations are distributed not in the order of the PERSONS, but in the order of the seated FIGURES!

Artist, scientist, writer, engineer, architect, inventor and humanist, real man Renaissance, Leonardo near the Italian town of Vinci, in 1452. For almost 20 years (from 1482 to 1499) he "worked" for the Duke of Milan, Ludovic Sforza. It was during this period of his life that The Last Supper was written. Da Vinci died in 1519 in France, where he was invited by King Francis I.

Composition innovation

The plot of the painting "The Last Supper" has been used in painting more than once. According to the gospel, during the last joint meal, Jesus "is true that one of you will betray me." Artists usually depicted the apostles at this moment gathered around a round or square table, but Leonardo wanted to show not only Jesus as central figure, he wanted to portray the reaction of all those present to the phrase of the Teacher. Therefore, he chose a linear composition that allows him to portray all the characters in front or in profile. In traditional iconography before Leonardo, it was also customary to depict Jesus breaking bread with Judas, and John clinging to the chest of Christ. With such a composition, the artists tried to emphasize the idea of ​​betrayal and redemption. Da Vinci violated this canon as well.

In the traditional manner, canvases depicting the Last Supper by Giotto, Duccio and Sassetta were painted.

Leonardo makes Jesus Christ the center of the composition. The dominant position of Jesus is emphasized by the empty space around him, the windows behind him, the objects in front of Christ are ordered, while chaos reigns on the table in front of the apostles. The apostles are divided by the artist into "troikas". Bartholomew, Jacob and Andrei are seated on the left, Andrei threw up his hands in a gesture of denial. Jude, Peter, and John follow. The face of Judas is hidden in the shadows, in the hands of his canvas bag. The femininity of the figure and face of John, who passed out from the news, has allowed numerous interpreters to suggest that this is Mary Magdalene, and not the apostle. Thomas, James and Philip are sitting behind Jesus, they are all turned to Jesus and, as it were, expecting clarifications from him, last group- Matthew, Thaddeus and Simon.

The similarity of the Apostle John with a woman is largely based on the plot of the work "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown.

Legend of Judas

In order to accurately write the emotions that engulfed the apostles, Leonardo not only made numerous sketches, but also carefully selected sitters. The painting, measuring 460 by 880 centimeters, was written over three years, from 1495 to 1498. The figure of Christ was painted first, for which, according to legend, a young singer with a spiritualized face posed. The last to be written was Jude. Da Vinci for a long time could not find a person whose face would bear the appropriate seal of vice, until luck smiled at him and he, in one of the prisons, met a young enough, but degraded and seemingly extremely depraved person. After he finished Judas with him, the sitter:
"Master, don't you remember me?" A few years ago you painted Christ from me for this fresco.
Serious art historians refute the veracity of this legend.

Dry plaster and restoration

Before Leonardo da Vinci, all artists painted frescoes on wet plaster. It was important to have time to finish the painting before it dries. Since Leonardo wanted to carefully and painstakingly write out the smallest details, as well as the emotions of the characters, he decided to write The Last Supper on dry plaster. First he covered the wall with a layer of resin and mastic, then with chalk and tempera. The method did not justify itself, although it allowed the artist to work with the degree of detail he needed. In less than a few decades, the paint began to crumble. The first serious damage was reported as early as 1517. In 1556, the famous art historian Giorgio Vasari claimed that the fresco had been damaged.

In 1652, the painting was barbarously damaged by a doorway cut in the lower part of the center of the fresco. Only thanks to what has been done so far by an unknown artist copies of the painting can now be seen not only in the original details, lost due to the destruction of the plaster, but also in the destroyed part. Since the 18th century, numerous attempts have been made to preserve and restore the great work, but all of them did not benefit the picture. A striking example to that - the curtain with which the fresco was closed in 1668. He caused moisture to accumulate on the wall, which led to the fact that the paint began to peel off even more. In the 20th century, all the most modern achievements of science were thrown to the aid of creation. From 1978 to 1999, the painting was closed for viewing and restorers worked on it, trying to minimize the damage caused by dirt, time, the efforts of past "keepers" and stabilize the painting from further destruction. To this end, the refectory was sealed as much as possible, and an artificial environment is maintained in it. Since 1999, visitors have been allowed to attend the Last Supper, but only by appointment for a period of no more than 15 minutes.

On the fifth day after the solemn entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, on Thursday, the disciples asked Jesus Christ: “Where do you order us to prepare Easter for you?” (on Friday evening the Passover lamb was to be slaughtered).

Jesus Christ told them: “Go to Jerusalem; there you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house and tell the owner: The teacher says: where is the upper room (room) in which I would celebrate the Passover with my disciples? He will show you a large furnished room; prepare there." Having said this, the Savior sent two of His disciples: Peter and John. They went, and everything was fulfilled as the Savior had said, and they prepared the Passover.

In the evening of that day, Jesus Christ, knowing that He would be betrayed that night, came with His twelve apostles to the prepared upper room. When everyone sat down at the table, Jesus Christ said: “I very much desired to eat this Passover with you before My suffering, because, I tell you, I will not eat it until it is completed in the Kingdom of God.” Then he got up, took off outerwear, girded himself with a towel, poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples' feet and wipe them with the towel with which he was girded. After washing the feet of the disciples, Jesus Christ put on His clothes and, lying down again, said to them: “Do you know what I have done to you? Behold, you call Me Teacher and Lord, and you call Me correctly. So, if I, the Lord and your Teacher, have washed your feet, then you must do the same. I have given you an example, so that you also do what I have done for you.”

By this example, the Lord showed not only His love for His disciples, but also taught them humility, that is, not to consider it a humiliation for oneself to serve anyone, even a person who is inferior to himself.

After eating the Old Testament Jewish Passover, Jesus Christ established the Sacrament of Holy Communion at this supper.

And while they were eating, Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and giving it to the disciples, said: “Take, eat; this is my body, which is broken for you for the remission of sins (that is, for you it is given over to suffering and death, for the forgiveness of sins). Then he took a cup of grape wine, blessed it, thanked God the Father for all His mercies to the human race, and, giving it to the disciples, said: “Drink everything from it, this is My Blood of the New Testament, shed for you for the remission of sins.”

These words mean that under the guise of bread and wine, the Savior gave His disciples the same Body and Blood, which the next day after that He gave up to suffering and death for our sins. How bread and wine become the Body and Blood of the Lord is a mystery, incomprehensible even to the Angels, which is why communion is called the Sacrament.

The Lord gave the commandment to always perform this Sacrament, saying: "Do this in remembrance of Me." This Sacrament is performed with us and now and will be performed until the end of the age at the divine service called Liturgy or Mass.

During the Last Supper, the Savior announced to the apostles that one of them would betray Him. They were very saddened by this and in bewilderment, looking at each other, in fear began to ask one after another: “Am I not the Lord?” Judas also asked: “Is it not me, Rabbi?” Jesus tells him, "You said." John reclined next to the Savior. Peter motioned to him to ask who the Lord was talking about. John, falling to the breast of the Savior, quietly said: “Lord! Who is it?" Jesus also quietly answered: “The one to whom I, having dipped a piece of bread, will give it.” And, having dipped a piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, saying: “What you are doing, do it quickly.” But no one understood why the Savior told him this. And since Judas had a box of money, the disciples thought that Jesus Christ was sending him to buy something for the holiday or to give alms to the poor. Judas, having accepted the piece, immediately went out. It was night.

Jesus Christ, continuing to talk with His disciples, said: “Children! It won't be long for me to be with you. I give you a new commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. And there is no greater love than if someone lays down his life (gives his life) for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you."

During this conversation, Jesus Christ predicted to the disciples that they would all be tempted about Him that night, they would all scatter, leaving Him alone. The Holy Apostle Peter said: “If everyone is offended about You, I will never be offended.” Then the Savior said to him: “Truly, I say to you that this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny Me three times and say that you do not know Me.” But Peter became even more convinced, saying: "Even though it behooves me to die with You, I will not deny You." All the other apostles said the same. Yet the words of the Savior saddened them.

Comforting them, the Lord said: “Let not your heart be troubled (that is, do not grieve), believe in God (Father) and believe in Me (Son of God). The Savior promised His disciples to send from the Father another Comforter and Teacher, instead of Himself - the Holy Spirit: you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you (this means that the Holy Spirit will abide with all true believers in Jesus Christ - in the Church of Christ). A little more - and the world will no longer see Me; and you will see me; for I live (I am Life; and death cannot overcome Me), and you will live. But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of everything that I have told you.” Holy Spirit, Spirit of truth, “Who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me; and also you will testify, because you are with me from the beginning” (John 15:26-27).

Jesus Christ also predicted to His disciples that they would have to endure much evil and misfortune from people because they believe in Him: “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer (be strong): I have conquered the world (that is, I have conquered the evil in the world)."

The Savior ended His conversation with a prayer for His disciples and for all who would believe in Him, so that the Heavenly Father would keep them all in firm faith, in love and in unanimity (in unity) among themselves.

Having finished the supper, they went beyond the Kidron stream, to the Mount of Olives, to the Garden of Gethsemane.

NOTE: See Matt. 26, 17-35; Mk. 14, 12-31; OK. 22:7-39; In. 13-17; 18, 1.

For the sake of the opportunity to look at it, millions of tourists are striving to Milan, regardless of the season.

The original fresco is located in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie (Santa Maria delle Grazie) on the eponymous square in Milan. The church was built during the Renaissance. It was commissioned to architect J. Solari by Dominican monks. The Last Supper fresco was commissioned by the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Maria Sforzo, at whose court Leonardo da Vinci won fame as a skilled painter. The artist completed the received order in the refectory of the monastery in 1495-1497.

Damage and restorations

During its more than half a thousand years of existence, the fresco was repeatedly damaged. And by the Dominican monks themselves, who cut off the lower part of the image along with the legs of Jesus and the nearest apostles. And the troops of Napoleon, who turned the church into a stable and threw stones at the heads of the apostles. And the Allied bombs that exploded on the roof during the Second World War. After the damage, well-intentioned restorers tried to repair the damage, but the result was not very good.

Already at the end of the 20th century, a lengthy restoration removed all previous unsuccessful restoration attempts and repaired the damage caused to the fresco. But despite this, today's "Last Supper" is only a shadow of the masterpiece created by the great painter.

Description

Until now, many art historians believe « The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci the greatest work world art. Even in the era of da Vinci, the fresco was considered his best work. Its approximate dimensions are 880 by 460 cm. It was made on dry plaster using a thick layer of egg tempera. Due to the use of such a fragile material, the fresco began to collapse already somewhere in 20 years after its creation.

The painting depicts the moment when Jesus Christ informs his disciples at dinner that one of them, Judas, sitting second to the right hand of Christ, will betray him. In the picture, Judas is reaching out with his left hand to the same dish as Jesus, and in his right hand he is clutching a bag of silver. To obtain lifelikeness and accuracy, Leonardo long time observed the postures and facial expressions of his contemporaries in various situations. Most researchers of the work of Leonardo da Vinci have come to the conclusion that the ideal place to contemplate the painting is a distance of 9 meters from it at a height of 3.5 meters from the floor level.

The uniqueness of The Last Supper lies in the amazing diversity and richness of the emotions of the characters depicted. No other painting on the theme of the Last Supper even comes close to the uniqueness of the composition and fine detail of Leonardo's masterpiece. Three or four days could pass, during which the master did not touch the future work of art.

And when he returned, he stood idle for hours before the sketch, examining it and criticizing his work.

Thanks to this, each character is not only a beautiful portrait, but also a clear type. Every detail is thought out and repeatedly weighed.

The most difficult thing for Leonardo when painting was to find models for writing Good, embodied in the image of Christ, and Evil, embodied in the image of Judas. There is even a legend about how they were found ideal models for these images great picture. One day the painter came to a performance church choir. And there, in the face of one of the young choir singers, he saw a beautiful image of Jesus. He invited the boy to his studio and made several sketches. Three years later, the main work on The Last Supper was almost completed, and Leonardo never found suitable model for Judas. And the customer was in a hurry, demanding the speedy completion of the work. And so, having undertaken many days of searching, the artist saw a ragamuffin lying in a gutter. It was a young man, but he was drunk, ragged, and looked very decrepit. Deciding not to waste time sketching, da Vinci asked to bring this man directly to the cathedral. The limp body was dragged to the temple, and the master painted from him sinfulness, looking from his face.

When the work was finished, the tramp came to his senses and cried out in fright when he saw the picture. It turned out that he had already seen her, three years ago. Then he was young and full of dreams, and some artist invited him to pose for the image of Christ. Later everything changed, he lost himself and sank in life.

Maybe this legend tells us that good and evil are two sides of the same coin. And in life it all depends on at what point they meet on our way.

Tickets, opening hours

Church visitors wishing to see the "Last Supper" can only get inside for inspection in groups of up to 25 people. Before entering, everyone, without fail, must undergo a procedure for removing contaminants from clothing using special devices.

But, despite this, the queue of those wishing to see the fresco with their own eyes never dries up. During the high season from April to November, tickets must be booked at least 4 months in advance.

Moreover, the reservation must be paid immediately. That is, you can not pay later ordered in advance. In winter, when the flow of tourists decreases slightly, you can order tickets 1-2 months before visiting.

It is most profitable to buy tickets on the official website of the Italian Ministry of Culture www.vivaticket.it, which is available in Italian and English, but in fact there are never any tickets. As of 2019, an adult ticket costs €12 + €3.5 tax.

How to buy tickets at the last moment

How to see the famous fresco?

Having shoveled the entire Internet and analyzed dozens of intermediary sites, I can only recommend one reliable site for buying tickets online "last minute" is www.getyourguide.ru

We go to the Milan section and choose tickets costing from 44 euros with an English-speaking tour - such tickets are on sale in about a week or two.

If you need to see the Last Supper urgently, then choose the option for 68 euros with a tour of Milan.

For example, on August 18 in the evening I managed to book tickets for August 21, while on the official website the nearest free window is not earlier than December. The cost of 2 tickets with a group tour of Milan turned out to be 136 euros.

Opening hours of the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie: from 8:15 to 19:00 with a break from 12:00 to 15:00. On pre-holiday and holidays, the church is open from 11-30 to 18-30. Weekends - January 1, May 1, December 25.

How to get there

How to get to Santa Maria delle Grazie:

• Take tram 18 towards Magenta, stop Santa Maria delle Grazie
• By metro line M2, stop Conciliazione or Cadorna

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It is difficult to find a person who is not at all familiar with the Last Supper icon. Those who regularly attend the temple and participate in church sacraments, probably repeatedly saw her over the Royal Doors. Whoever is in the habit of praying at home before a meal hangs an image in the dining room. And an unbeliever, at least once in his life, caught the eye of the famous fresco by Leonardo da Vinci, written for the Milan monastery - also, in fact, an icon ... But what is the meaning of it? What does the image symbolize? What purpose does it serve?

Sacrament of the Eucharist

What the Last Supper icon means for a Christian is both easy and extremely difficult to tell. Easy - because every person, at least superficially familiar with Holy Scripture knows what event she is talking about. It is difficult - because everyone comes to the understanding of the deep meaning of what happened during the festive meal in the Zion Room, in their own way ...

All year round, with rare exceptions, the Church celebrates the Sacrament of Communion, established by Christ himself 2000 years ago. Then, at the Last Supper on the eve of Passover - and in the time of Jesus it was a holiday in honor of the liberation of the Jews from Egyptian slavery - there was significant event. Having washed the disciples' feet with his own hands and shared a meal with them, Jesus broke bread and distributed it to the apostles, saying: "this is my body." And then, after passing the cup, he proclaimed: "This is My Blood."

Since then, the Church has reproduced this action in the Sacrament of Communion, or, in other words, the Eucharist. In the Sacrament, thanks to which a person who once fell away from God can reunite with Him, become one with His higher nature, receive invaluable spiritual benefits. Taking bread and wine - the body and blood of Christ, sacrificed for people - we take into ourselves His part and eternal life.

The plot of the first communion is often found in the painting of churches

The main meaning of the Last Supper icon is to serve as a reminder of the first communion of the apostles, the betrayal of Judas that followed, and the voluntary sacrifice made by Jesus Christ for us.

Where to place the icon?

Do you need an icon of the Last Supper in your house? If you are a believer and want to supplement your home iconostasis with it, such a question should not arise. Of course you do!

However, let’s get straight to the point: strict rules on this topic no. There is only a tradition that requires that in a dwelling Orthodox Christian was the image of Jesus Christ, Mother of God and saints. And whether it will be Nicholas the Wonderworker, especially revered by the Russian people, the saints whose names are given to the owner of the house and members of his family, or anyone else, depends only on you. There will be a place in this row for the apostles, captured in one of the most significant, exciting moments: the acceptance of the first Holy Gifts on this earth.

Place the icon in the dining room to pray before eating. Or in the kitchen, where ordinary, but such homemade and warm breakfasts and dinners are held. Or on your home iconostasis - why not?

In some families, truly precious shrines have been kept for many decades.

By the way, the "Last Supper" along with the "Holy Trinity" is allowed to be placed above the faces of the Savior and the Mother of God - this image is so highly valued.

What to pray for?

How does the Last Supper icon help?

• First of all, like any other, it gives us the opportunity to focus on communication with God, to tell Him about our secret thoughts, anxieties and joys, to gain peace of mind in prayer.
• If the icon hangs in the kitchen, the hostess can read a short prayer, asking for blessings for the work she has begun whenever she starts cooking.
• If in the dining room, as already mentioned, they pray before the image before and after the meal.
• In the church, where the "Last Supper" is traditionally placed at the Royal Doors, parishioners turn to her in order to receive a blessing to correctly accept the Holy Gifts.
• And before the image, you can ask for the forgiveness of sins, both in the temple and at home.

You can pray about everything that lies in a person’s soul

Maundy Thursday in the Church...

In memory of the festive meal, once secretly celebrated in Jerusalem, a separate day of Holy Week is dedicated - Maundy Thursday. In 2019, it falls on April 25, which means that on this day we will again remember with reverence the sacrament performed by the Savior for our disciples; empathize with his sufferings accepted on the cross; mourn death; rejoice at the resurrection and try to commune with Christ through confession and the Eucharist.

... And in folk traditions

Maundy Thursday is not in vain also called Clean. On this day, Christians strive to visit the bathhouse without fail or take a bath at home. If this is not possible, for example, you are on the road, you should at least rinse your face and hands.

The water element is given special attention. On this day, the peasants tried to seize a moment and run to the source or to the stream with a bucket: it was believed that “Thursday water” washes away all the sins accumulated over the year, gives health, and if you throw a worn thing into the river, troubles and hardships will flow away after it .

In memory of the washing of the feet of the apostles, and we strive to meet the holiday in purity

However, the hostesses had no time to go to the river. Thursday was a big cooking day for them. Cottage cheese for Easter was rubbed, Easter cakes were baked, fast dishes languished and sizzled in hot oil on the stove, which were supposed to be treated to households on a bright holiday. Well, other family members were engaged in painting eggs, because until the time when it would be possible to give relatives, friends and just acquaintances the main Easter treat in a bright shell, there was nothing left ...

Video: Last Supper and First Communion

The video will tell you more about the meaning of the Sacrament of the Holy Communion and the Last Supper Orthodox TV channel"My joy":

And a little more about Maundy Thursday:

Photo gallery: The Last Supper on icons and frescoes

The miracle - and you can’t call it otherwise - that took place in Jerusalem on the eve of Easter, occupied the minds of icon painters and simple artists in all ages. All the better! Today we have a great opportunity to look at the most diverse images of the "Last Supper": photos of icons, frescoes and paintings written both centuries ago and by modern masters. Each one is a masterpiece!

The age of some icons is difficult to ascertain

Judas is often depicted reaching across the table for a dish.

And how often the Last Supper is depicted in stained glass!

A familiar story is also found on ancient tapestries.

Stone bas-reliefs look especially impressive

The Last Supper does not give peace to our contemporaries either.

Even the sculpture did not ignore the exciting topic