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Cenacolo of S. Apollonia
Andrea del Castagno's Last Supper

"When evening came, he sat down with his twelve disciples, and, while they were at table he said: Believe me, one of you is to betray me. They were full of sorrow, and began to say, one after another, Lord, is it I? He answered, The man who has put his hand into the dish with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes on his way, as the scripture foretells of him; but woe upon that man by whom the Son of Man is to be betrayed; better for that man if he had never been born". (Matthew, XXVI, 21-24).

As soon as Christ reveals the tragic truth, the disciples, in a state of agitation, begin to ask themselves who among them is the traitor. Peter, the founder of the Church, is shocked and horrified; John, the dearest one, stands leaning against the Lord's chest; Judas, the antagonist, broods darkly.

The climax of Christ's earthly life, before the Institution of Eucharist and his Sacrifice on the Cross, is the dramatic scene of the Last Supper. This scene seemed particularly suitable for the decoration of the great conventual refectories, especially in Florence, with its ideal theme of meditation and prayer offered to the monastic community united for the purpose of eating.

Throughout the 14th century, the scene of the Last Supper was included in the grandiose cycles of frescoes which illustrated the Life and the Passion of Christ. During the 15th century, with invention of perspective, the Supper began to be represented independently on an entire wall. The "squared cut", already used by Giotto in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua and then by Taddeo Gaddi in the Florentine Last Supper in Santa Croce, looks forward to the strongly compressed cubic space bathed in light of Andrea del Castagno's monumental Supper in Santa Apollonia. The frescoed representations of the Last Supper by Domenico Ghirlandaio in Florence and in the Abbey at Passignano, which just predate Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper in Milan, are characterized by a descriptive naturalism. Leonardo's exceptional masterpiece, on the other hand, served to glorify and spread the Florentine "fashion" in Northern Italy. In Florence, Franciabigio' s technique in his Cenacolo della Calza was highly influenced by Leonardo, while the colour and light of an Umbrian landscape characterize Perugino' s Cenacolo di Foligno. In the Last Supper at San Salvi, Andrea del Sarto surpasses the existing tradition imparting to his painting a luminosity worthy of Michelangelo and a psychological penetration that renders the figures full of "magnitude, majesty and infinite grace".

Following the 18th century supression of monastic orders, the Cenacoli have become monuments of exceptional artistic value and are today open to the public.

Text by Mario Carniani. Collaboration offered by Giotto, Florentine Guides Ass., and Florence Promhotels.
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