Important restoration work on Michelangelo’s funerary monument in the Church of Santa Croce in Florence has been completed and visitors can now admire the Monument to Michelangelo in all its glory. The restoration project, known as ‘In the Name of Michelangelo,’ was carried out by the Opera di Santa Croce, the non-profit organization that has been in charge of the basilica’s upkeep since the 14th century. The Opera di Santa Croce does not receive any state funding, and, to complete the project, it relied on donations which came from 132 donors from 14 different countries (Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Philippines, Finland, Germany, Italy, Norway, Peru, Czech Republic, Spain, UK, USA), for a total contribution of €121.000.

It took more than a year to complete the restoration of Michelangelo’s funerary monument, which consists of a marble sculpture and a fresco painting, both made by his friend and admirer Giorgio Vasari, a painter, architect, writer and historian best known for his important biographies of Italian Renaissance artists. Vasari was commissioned the work by Duke Cosimo de’ Medici after Michelangelo’s death in 1564.