Florence, Italy: Starting on November 15, Michelangelo’s secret room will be regularly accessible to the public for the first time since it was discovered in 1975. The walls of the little, arched chamber beneath the Florence Medici Chapels Museum are covered in some very skilful doodling.
The tiny space -just 33ft by 10ft- below the Medici Chapels Museum in Florence contains charcoal drawings attributed to the artist. It was discovered in 1975 by Paolo Dal Poggetto, then the director of the Medici Chapels, who was hoping to create a new exit for tourists.
Among the many artistic treasures that Michelangelo Buonarroti left behind are his David statue and the magnificent murals that cover the Sistine Chapel ceiling. According to one expert, the drawings are “in a perfect state” despite their antiquity and years covered up.
Starting November 15, up to 100 visitors will be granted access each week by reservation, four at a time, spending a maximum of 15 minutes inside the space until March 30, 2024.
Coal was kept in the room until 1955, at which point it was locked up and left forgotten for many years. According to a belief, Michelangelo sought refuge in the small area from “the wrath of Pope Clement VII.”
Michelangelo is said to have hidden 1530 from the Medici in a secret Chamber filled with Michelangelo’s Drawings. During the time when Pope Clement VII ordered the execution of a master painter and sculptor due to his Republican political beliefs, he sought refuge in a secret room.
Visitors will soon be allowed access to a secret space within Florence’s Medici Chapel. Only four visitors can enter at a time. Experts have suggested that some delicate charcoal drawings sketched on the walls are the works of Michelangelo.
