Santa Maria Delle Grazie Easter

Santa Maria Delle Grazie is a church that has stood for a long time, and like other churches, it also observes special activities on Easter.

The church is most notable for the Leonardo Da Vinci painting “The Last Supper” on a wall of the refectory.

It also features the fresco “Crucifixion” by Giovanni Donato da Montorfano. 

Apart from the art, the church is also renowned for its architecture and the history it has accumulated during its long-standing existence and holds heavy cultural weight.

The church was built over the years and finally completed in 1497. It has withstood various times in history, including bombing during World War II.

The mural was saved by sandbagging, and the church was repaired. Many efforts have been made throughout history, which have made preserving “The Last Supper” artwork possible. 

Various tourists visit the church to see the Gothic and Renaissance architecture, frescoes, and murals in a curated setting.

Visitors are only allowed a limited time in the refectory to prevent the mural from natural degradation. 

Easter and Saint Maria Delle Grazie

Easter is a festival celebrated by Christians; it is noted as the day Jesus was resurrected from the crucifixion, according to the New Testament.

Easter is not just a day celebrated; Christians also practice prayer and fasting leading up to it.

The week before Easter also has significant days leading up to the festival, such as Palm Sunday, Spy Wednesday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

Easter does not fall on the same date in the Gregorian calendar and is a lunisolar festival, meaning that it is decided based on the solar calendar and the moon phase.

The Easter festival includes giving each other gifts, family feasts, special service in the church and Easter eggs.

The Easter eggs are blessed by the priests in some churches on Easter. They are considered a blessed meal on the day.

In Christianity, Easter eggs are seen as a symbol of Jesus’s empty tomb, as it is believed that Jesus was resurrected after being crucified.

There was a tradition to paint the eggs red, signifying the blood of Jesus shed during the crucifixion, but nowadays, you will see Easter eggs in multiple colors.

The 40-day fasting period before Easter, known as Lent, was when eggs were prohibited.

That is why, on Easter, Christians would get to eat them again. Hence, they hold an important place in customs and traditions celebrating Easter.

Modern customs see eggs sometimes replaced by chocolate or colored plastic eggs with a treat inside them.

The eggs are hidden around the house by The Easter Bunny as children look to find them. 

Children look for the Easter eggs and find sweets in them. The eggs are sometimes also placed in a basket filled with straws resembling a nest.

The Church During Easter Time

The Saint Maria Delle Grazie church also holds special services during Easter, so if you are taking a tour of the church that day, it may be affected.

The significance of Easter is heightened at Saint Maria Delle Grazie. The days of Easter Triduum include Maundy Thursday, which notes Maundy and The Last Supper.

The Easter Triduum is a period of holy days also known as “Three Days,” starting from the evening of Maundy Thursday and culminating with prayer in the evening on Easter Sunday.

These three holy days also commemorate “The Last Supper,” which, according to Christian beliefs, is the last meal that Jesus had with his disciples before the crucifixion.

The most popular painting of “The Last Supper” is in Saint Maria Delle Grazie, which gives the church enormous religious significance.

Even if one attends as a tourist, the six-century-old painting or mural still holds up well from an artistic point of view.

The preservation of the artwork and its cultural, religious, and historic significance make Leonardo Da Vinci’s mural special. 

The Last Supper Entrance Ticket and Guided Tour offer an excellent experience. During the informative and absorbing guided tour, you will witness the mural and learn more about the church’s history.

The church is of religious and artistic importance, and during Easter celebrations, people visit in large numbers, as they can view “The Last Supper” mural.

The tickets sell out fast due to the high demand and the limited number of visitors allowed at once.

Getting guided tour tickets is the best way to get a detailed and better experience. Whatever you do, do it quickly, for Easter is one of the peak seasons in crowd density.

Featured Image: Booblgum from Getty Images (Canva)