The Last Supper

The Last Supper is the last meal Jesus Christ had with his twelve apostles on the Thursday before Passover (the Jewish Easter), a few hours before his arrest and the day before his crucifixion. With his words and actions at that meal, Jesus instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist—the very foundation of Christianity. The Evangelists tell the story in the New Testament.

At each end of the room are two monumental paintings by Cretey, depicting episodes from the life of Christ and evoking the purpose of the place. Their somber colors contrast with the luminous, carved decoration of the ceiling, and three circular paintings located at the points where the beams of the vault meet. The colors in these pictures are vivid, like breaks in the clouds revealing the sky and illustrating ascents to heaven.