The traditional Passover meal that Jesus ate with the Apostles the night before his death. At this supper, according to the Gospels, Jesus blessed bread and broke it, telling the disciples, “Take, eat; this is my body.” He then passed a cup of wine to them, saying, “This is my blood.” Jesus' words refer to the Crucifixion he was about to suffer in order to atone for humankind's sins. He told the Apostles, “Do this in remembrance of me.”
Note: The actions of Jesus at the Last Supper are the basis for the Christian sacrament of Holy Communion, or the Eucharist, in which the faithful partake of bread and wine.
Note: The Last Supper is the subject of a famous fresco by Leonardo da Vinci, which depicts Jesus Christ and his Apostles seated along one side of a long table.
A fresco painted by Leonardo da Vinci depicting Jesus and his disciples at the moment Jesus announces that one of them has betrayed him. (See under “The Bible.”)
Note: Restoration of the deteriorating fresco has caused great controversy. Some art critics claim that the colors are now “too bright” and that Leonardo's original work has been mutilated. The restoration has been open to the public on a limited basis since 1999.
in the New Testament (Matt. 26:17-29; Mark 14:12-25; Luke 22:7-38; I Cor. 11:23-25), the final meal shared by Jesus and his disciples in an upper room in Jerusalem, the occasion of the institution of the Eucharist. According to the biblical account, Jesus sent two of his disciples to prepare for the meal and met with all the disciples in the upper room. He told them that one of them would betray him. After blessing bread and wine and giving it to them to eat and drink, Jesus told them that it was his body and his blood of the Covenant.