Where is The Last Supper housed? The convent where Dominican friars still live
Da Vinci’s painting resides in Milan’s Santa Maria delle Grazie, where Dominican friars continue to live, pray and serve the community
The Reverend Paolo Venturelli never gets too close when he visits Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. The Dominican friar prefers to stand away from the wall where it was painted, on the opposite side of the room that was once used by members of his order for meals.
“From there, the painting looks as though it were painted in the middle of the refectory,” says Venturelli of the masterpiece depicting the story of Jesus’ final meal with his apostles. “It unleashes all kinds of human and spiritual reactions.”
After the Napoleonic suppression of religious houses in the 18th century, the refectory passed into state hands. Today, it is known as the Cenacolo Vinciano.
“We don’t go often because we have to ask permission to enter,” says Venturelli, who can stay inside for only 15 minutes like any other visitor because of preservation rules.