Beneath the Medici Chapels in Florence lies a hidden chamber believed to have sheltered Michelangelo in 1530 during the fall of the Florentine Republic. 👉🏼 Discovered in 1975, the small underground room contains charcoal sketches attributed to the master, revealing studies connected to the New Sacristy above. After supporting the Republic against Medici rule, Michelangelo reportedly went into hiding to avoid punishment from Pope Clement VII, a Medici pope. Though he later returned to complete