MILAN (AP) — Tourists heading to Milan during the Winter Olympics hoping to see Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” have had an unpleasant surprise: Access to the masterpiece is closed to the public for 3 1/2 days.
The painting, created between 1494 and 1498 by the Italian Renaissance artist, is on a wall inside the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, a Dominican church and convent still used by the monks. It is a great attraction for both art appreciators and devout Catholics.
The tourists stuck to the police cordon on the road leading to Santa Maria delle Grazie were disappointed. Antonio Rodríguez, who traveled from Spain with friends, said that they would not have another chance to see the painting or the church next to them since they only traveled for the weekend.
“We didn’t know we were going to face this,” Rodríguez said, adding that he had no plans to attend events related to the Games. “We were going somewhere else in town.”
A sign on the outside wall of Il Cenacolo Vinciano said that access to the landmark would be closed all day on February 5, 6 and 7, and the morning of February 8, without giving any reason. Staff there told a reporter from The Associated Press that they were not authorized to provide any information.
VIPs are still allowed in on Saturday
Unbeknownst to the frustrated visitors, multiple groups of VIPs were exempted from the restrictions on Saturday.
Among them was the American Vice President JD Vance and his family, according to a statement from the vice president’s office. They visited the morning after he met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and attended the opening ceremony of the Games.
Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019, which he said brought him a sense of spiritual fulfillment. He visited Rome and Vatican City during Holy Week last year, and was among the last world leaders to meet Pope Francis before his death. They sat down together on Easter Sunday after a long-distance spat over the Trump administration’s migrant deportation plans.
In addition to Vance, several foreign delegations have visited The Last Supper and the Brera Art Gallery in recent days, including those from China, Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria, Angelo Crespi, the director of Grande Brera who oversees both institutions, said in a statement.
“We interpret our role responsibly, not only in terms of tourism but also in terms of international relations,” he said.
Traffic in the area around the religious site on Saturday was diverted. People who were walking in the nearby streets said that public transport was also disrupted.
“The trams were changed without any notice,” said Fedeli Gioia. “This whole area is blocked off because someone is going to see Il Cenacolo? And where do the citizens leave us?”
A painting that – with care and luck – has survived for centuries
The Last Supper — described by renowned writer Giorgio Vasari as “a beautiful and wonderful thing” in his writings — is preserved under strict conservation conditions.
Instead of creating a fresco that allowed the paint to be absorbed by the plaster, Leonardo used a dry technique that made it much more vulnerable to deterioration. Environmental damage and repeated restoration attempts have changed its appearance and prompted ongoing conservation efforts.
Nowadays, visits last around 15 minutes for a maximum number of 40 people at a time and the temperature and humidity are strictly controlled.
Leonardo’s painting shows the moment after Jesus said to his apostles: “One of you will betray me.” The composition of the scene had other interpretations by previous artists, but Leonardo reinterpreted it, placing Jesus in the center and arranging the apostles in four groups of three figures.
In addition to conservation issues derived from the dry technique used by Leonardo, the mural suffered deterioration when the refectory accommodation was used as a stable in the late 1700s during the French occupation of Milan by Napoleon’s troops. Later, it was heavily damaged when Allied bombing hit the Santa Maria delle Grazie complex in 1943 during World War II.
He made a controversial appearance, of sorts, at the 2024 Paris Olympics. A scene at the opening ceremony evoked the painting, and included DJ Barbara Butch — an LGBTQ+ icon — wearing a silver halo-like headpiece while accompanied by drag artists and dancers.
The Catholic Bishops of France said they hated the Christian symbolism, and the Vatican said it “deplored the crime” caused to Christians by the scene.
Tourists watch from afar
A group of Japanese tourists was among the visitors who had to be behind the police cordon on Saturday. They took pictures of the church from a distance and listened to a guide’s explanation on the way.
Luisa Castro, a Filipina who has been living in Milan for 20 years, was hoping to visit Santa Maria delle Grazie with friends.
“We are Catholics from the Philippines and we rarely have time to visit a church like this,” she said. “Unfortunately, the vice president of America came to see the Last Supper and we could not enter.”
___
Associated Press writers Colleen Barry and Michelle Price in Milan contributed to this report.
___
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
___
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.