For the first time after the end of its decadeslong restoration following its discovery some almost 50 years ago, the “secret room” of Michelangelo, the legendary Italian artist, is set to welcome its visitors in Italy.
The room, which is inside the famous Medici Chapels Museum in Florence, a cultural hub during the Renaissance era, contains sketches of human figures drawn by the artist and will be opened between Nov. 15, 2023, and March 30, 2024.
Entry will require prebooking and a maximum of 100 visitors will be allowed to enter the room each week, with a time limit of 15 minutes per stay. Additionally, the room will accommodate only four visitors at the same time.
The room, measuring 10 meters (32.81 feet) in length, 3 meters in width and 2.5 meters in height at its highest point, was originally used as coal storage before its rediscovery during renovations in 1975.
The walls of the room have drawings that are believed to be made by Michelangelo. It is said that he drew them while seeking refuge from a death sentence by Pope Clement VII during his dispute with the powerful Medici family.
Michelangelo is thought to have spent about two months hiding in the tiny room beneath the Medici Chapels in the Basilica of San Lorenzo in 1530. During this time, he created many drawings that looked like his earlier art. One of these drawings was of Leda and the Swan, which is a painting he made in the same year but is now lost.
Michelangelo, whose full name is Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, was born in 1475 in Caprese, Republic of Florence. One of his most famous works is called "The Creation of Adam." Although, many people recognize him for the painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
