Michelangelo’s ‘secret room’ in Florence

Many are familiar with the extraordinary works of Buonarroti. Still, only some know that within the Sacristy of San Lorenzo, there is a secret room where the artist took refuge during the Spanish siege of Florence. It was in this hidden chamber that he created a series of incredible charcoal drawings.

Florence, September 21, 2015 – It was November 1975 when, during a series of structural interventions at the Basilica of San Lorenzo, a secret room was discovered.

Measuring approximately seven meters by two, this room is located within the Sacristy of the Florentine monumental complex and, as recognized by Paolo Dal Poggetto, then Director of the Museum of the Medici Chapels, it holds a series of sketches created by Michelangelo himself on its walls.

It was during the final stages of the Spanish siege of Florence that the artist sought refuge in this small chamber, where he remained hidden for a remarkable three months.

Michelangelo had compelling reasons to disappear from public view. To counter the army of Charles V, he had offered his genius to reinforce the city’s defensive walls. Today, the room serves as a reminder of the artist’s presence during that fateful summer of 1530.

With only charcoal at his disposal and lacking paper, Michelangelo adorned the chamber’s walls with his remarkable drawings. The sketches depict a variety of subjects, including a horse’s head, studies related to the sculptures of the Sacristy of San Lorenzo, and even some reconsiderations of his famous David.

One striking image portrays a figure curled in on itself, believed by experts to be a self-portrait of the artist in captivity.

While not accessible to the public for security reasons, the history of Michelangelo’s Secret Room can be explored through the work of Paolo Dal Poggetto (“Michelangelo. The Secret Room. The Mural Drawings in the Sacristy of San Lorenzo”), recently republished in a revised and expanded version.