The Medici Chapels in Florence are a lavish family mausoleum attached to the Basilica of San Lorenzo. Their two principal spaces tell different stories: the monumental Chapel of the Princes celebrates dynastic power, while Michelangelo’s New Sacristy offers a more restrained, introspective vision of death and remembrance.
Begun in 1520, the New Sacristy was designed by Michelangelo for members of the Medici family, whose wealth and political influence helped shape Renaissance Florence. His marble figures of Dawn, Dusk, Night and Day recline on the tombs of Lorenzo and Giuliano de’ Medici. The project was left unfinished when the artist departed Florence, but the interplay between sculpture and architecture remains extraordinary.
The Chapel of the Princes, begun in the early 17th century, makes a more flamboyant statement. Its octagonal interior is clad in colored marble and semi-precious stone, with a vast painted dome overhead. The contrast between its grandeur and the New Sacristy’s cool gray-and-white surfaces is reason enough to visit. The crypt below adds a quieter perspective on the family commemorated upstairs.
The museum has a separate entrance behind the Basilica of San Lorenzo, on Piazza Madonna degli Aldobrandini. It’s an easy walk from the Duomo and Santa Maria Novella station. Check current opening hours before visiting and consider booking ahead in high season; an early visit can also give you more space to appreciate the sculptures.