This Dominican convent, included in UNESCO's World Heritage Sites List, was built between 1463 and 1481 under the promotion of Duke Francesco Sforza. Leonardo Da Vinci's famous Last Supper fresco is located in its refectory.
The initial design was created by Guiniforte Solari. However, Ludovico Moro, successor of Francesco Sforza, decided to make the church the resting place of the Sforza family. The apse and dome were enlarged and reworked in a classic Renaissance style by one of the best Italian architects of all times, Donato Bramante, although finished by Giovanni Antonio Amadeo.
During World War II, this Dominican monastery was almost completely destroyed by bombing. Three walls of the refectory that houses "Il Cenacolo" or "The Last Supper" were miraculously spared. This 15th-century mural painting that covers the back wall of the dining hall was commissioned by Da Vinci's patron, Duke Ludovico Sforza. Depicting in exquisite detail the dramatic moment when Jesus reveals that one of his disciples will betray him, it is considered Da Vinci's most accomplished work, indeed one of the finest paintings of the Renaissance.
