Situated in the Basilica di San Lorenzo, which was Medici's official church, the Cappelle were planned as sepulchres for the most renowned members of the family.
In 1520 Michelangelo Buonarroti began the realization of the Sacrestia Nuova next to Brunelleschi's Sacrestia Vecchia. He worked on the sarcophaguses' sculptures until 1533, when he left Florence to go to Rome. The work was finished by Giorgio Vasari in 1546.
Lorenzo il Magnifico, Giuliano de' Medici (called the two "Magnifici"), Lorenzo Duke of Urbino and Giuliano Duke of Nemours (the two "Capitani") were going to be buried there, but only the graves for the Capitani were finished. On the left of the altar you can admire the sepulchre of Lorenzo Duke of Urbino (called "il Pensieroso" by Vasari) together with the allegories of Crepuscolo and Aurora ( Dusk and Dawn). In front of the altar are the sepulchre of Giuliano (who carries his sceptre) and the allegories of Day and Night.
Over the Magnifici's sarcophagus you can admire the Vergin statue by Michelangelo (1521) and sideways the two patron saints of the family: Cosma (realized by Montorsoli in 1537) on the right and Damiano (realized by Raffaele da Montelupo in 1531) on the left.
The sculptures have been variously interpreted in their complex symbolism: the poses of the two main figures (Lorenzo and Giuliano) represent the contemplative and the active life; the allegories probably refer to the phases of human life. The sepulchres moreover refer to the liberation of soul after death, a philosophical concept which is typical of Michelangelo's spirituality.