Imperial Crypt, Vienna
Encyclopedia
The Imperial Crypt in Vienna
, Austria
lies below the Capuchin Church and monastery founded in 1618 and dedicated in 1632. It is on the Neuer Markt square of the Innere Stadt
, near the imperial Hofburg Palace. Since 1633 it has been the principal place of entombment for members of the Habsburg dynasty.
The bodies of 145 Habsburg royalty
, plus urns containing the hearts or cremated remains of four others, are deposited here, including 12 emperor
s and 18 empresses
. The most recent entombment was in 2011. The visible 107 metal sarcophagi
and 5 heart urns range in style from puritan plain to exuberant rococo. The Imperial Crypt is one of the top tourist attractions in Vienna
.
To this day, some of the dozen resident Capuchin friars
continue their customary role as the guardians and caretakers of the crypt along with their other pastoral work in Vienna.
, wife of Emperor Matthias
conceived the idea of a Capuchin
cloister and burial crypt for her and her husband, to be built in the neighborhood of the Hofburg castle in Vienna
.
She provided funds for it in the will she made on 10 November 1617, and soon made the funds available by dying just a year later. Her spouse followed a year after that.
The foundation stone was laid on 8 September 1622 in the presence of Emperor Ferdinand II
and after slow progress caused by the distractions of the Thirty Years' War
the church was dedicated on 25 July 1632 and at Easter of the next year, the simple sarcophagi containing the remains of Emperor Mathias and Empress Anna were transferred with great ceremony to what is now called the Founder's Vault.
Emperor Leopold I
enlarged the crypt in 1657 in the area under the nave of the church and his son Emperor Joseph I
extended it further westward in 1710, but awkwardly, beginning the vault that his brother Emperor Karl VI
continued westward in 1720 that extends under the chancel and the apse choir above. For the first time, a well-known architect (Lukas von Hildebrandt) was involved with an enlargement of the crypt.
In 1754, his daughter Empress Maria Theresa
went even further west, completely past the church above, into the monastery garden with her domed addition that admits natural light. The imposing dome and crypt is the work of architect Jean Jadot de Ville-Issey.
During the reign of her grandson Emperor Francis II architect Johann Aman turned to the north for his addition in 1824.
The monastery surrounding the church had fallen into disrepair after 200 years of constant use, so during the reign of Emperor Ferdinand
in 1840 the monastery (but not the church) was torn down and rebuilt. As part of that project, architect Johann Höhne built Ferdinand’s Vault and the Tuscan Vault as part of the basement of the new structure.
As part of the jubilee celebrating his 60 years on the throne in 1908, Emperor Franz Joseph had architect Cajo Perisic build another mausoleum chamber and a chapel to the east of Franz II and Ferdinand’s vaults. At the same time, new annexes for visitors were created on either side of the church.
By 1960 it was obvious from the deteriorating condition of the tombs that the environment of changing heat and humidity needed to be controlled if the historic sarcophagi were to survive for future generations. The New Vault, north of the Tuscan, Ferdinand’s and Franz Joseph’s Vaults, was built by architect Karl Schwanzer
, with metal doors by sculptor Rudolf Hoflehner. It added about 20% to the space of the crypt, and was used as part of a massive rearrangement of the tombs in the vaults.
The original small vault had held, besides the tombs of the two founders, those of a dozen children and had been called the Angel’s Vault. Those were moved to open niches newly made in the front wall of Leopold’s Vault.
Selected tombs from various other vaults were moved to the New Vault and grouped in themes such as Bishops, the direct ancestors of the last reigning emperor, and the immediate family of Archduke Charles
the victor of Aspern.
Thirty seven other tombs, of some minors and minor members of the ruling family, were walled-up into four piers created in Ferdinand’s Vault.
Thus about half of all the tombs were moved out of the original vaults to more orderly places as part of that great reorganization.
In 2003 another project made the crypt accessible to the handicapped, and opened previously unused doors so that the visitor route no longer requires the 100% backtracking that was necessary before. The entire crypt was also air conditioned to prevent deterioration of the tombs.
Ornamentation ranges from simple to elaborate.
Until far in the 18th century, the most common material for a sarcophagus
here was a bronze-like alloy of tin
, coated with shellac
.
The splendid tombs of the baroque
and rococo
eras are made of true bronze
, a nobler and therefore more expensive material.
Reforming Emperor Joseph II
decreed simplified burial customs for the people, and introduced the use of lighter and cheaper copper
into the Imperial Crypt, where it was then used into the 19th century.
In the later 19th century a mixture of cast brass and bronze as well as silver-bronzed copper was adopted.
Other metals were used only rarely, except for silver
and gold
plating on decorations.
Various techniques of metalworking were used: full casting for the sarcophagus; hollow casting for decorative sculpture; carving
, engraving
, and hammered relief
for surface decoration.
The parts for chests and covers are riveted together, ornaments and decorative figures are screwed on.
The sculptor responsible for the most elaborate tombs is Balthasar Ferdinand Moll
.
In order to guarantee the stability of the enormous display tombs, they have iron
bracings and wood
lining inside. This avoids both cave-ins and a buckling of the side walls from the weight of the cover. The cover of the double tomb of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, alone weighs approximately 1700 kg (3800 lb).
Within the outer case lays a wooden coffin
that is wrapped in silk
(black with gold trim for rulers, red with silver trim for others). The coffin usually has two locks, the key to one is kept by the Capuchin Guardian of the crypt, the other is kept in the Schatzkammer
of the Hofburg palace in Vienna.
Within the coffin, the body usually has had the organs
removed as a necessary part of the embalming
process for its display before the funeral. For about one-third of the bodies, the heart has been placed into a silver urn
and sent elsewhere (usually the Herzgruft
in the Augustinerkirche
), and for some the intestines and other organs have been put into a copper urn and deposited in the Dukes Crypt
in the catacombs of Vienna’s cathedral, the Stephansdom
.
The first major restoration effort was undertaken in 1852, but further work was needed by 1956 when the Gesellschaft zur Rettung der Kapuzinergruft (Association for Saving the Capuchin Crypt) came into being to inform the public of the problem, raise funds, and preserve and restore the tombs.
It was first necessary to create additional space and to dehumidify the crypt. After completion of the New Vault in 1960 and the transfer of 26 tombs from the overflowing Tuscan Vault, the work of dehumidification could begin. Also, a workshop was created in the south end of the Tuscan Vault where highly-skilled artisans could work on selected tombs temporarily moved there for restoration.
In 2003 remodelling of the ground-level visitor facilities took place to create a new visitor entrance and make the crypt accessible to the handicapped. The visitor route was also changed so that visitors now see the tombs in historical sequence by entering at one end and leaving at the other, instead of both entering and leaving via a single stairway that is in the middle of the route. Most importantly, the entire crypt was air conditioned so that humidity can be controlled.
The repair and conservation of the artistic work takes place in close cooperation with the monks, the Association, the Austrian Monument Office and the Vienna Old City Preservation Fund.
They include 12 Emperors and 18 Empresses. The most recent entombment, that of Archduke Otto
, and his wife Archduchess Regina, was on 16 July 2011.
From other families there are 32 spouses, plus four others, who have found their resting place here.
The oldest person entombed here is Archduke Otto
, aged 98 years and 7 months. The next oldest is his mother, Zita of Bourbon-Parma, the last Austrian empress, at 97 years. Several died at birth and over 25% of those entombed here were five-years of age or less when they died.
Emperors buried here:
Empresses buried here:
(Also, the hearts of Empresses Claudia Felicitas and Amalie Wilhelmine are here, but their bodies are buried elsewhere.)
All 146 persons buried here (in whole or in part) are shown on the directory charts below, together with links to a detailed text listing
.
For ease of use, they show the Habsburg family buried here as family trees based upon lines of descent.
and her cousin and husband Emperor Mathias. They are shown with their descent from Emperor Friedrich III
and their relationship to their successor, Emperor Ferdinand II
.
For the tomb location and specifics on any person buried in the Imperial Crypt, find the tomb number located next to the person's name on the chart below then click on the appropriate group of tomb numbers: 1-2, 3-32, 33-40, 41-56, 57-61, 62-100 101-114, 115-141, 142-144, 147-151, (x415-x887 are buried elsewhere).
For the tomb location and specifics on any person buried in the Imperial Crypt, find the tomb number located next to the person's name on the chart below then click on the appropriate group of tomb numbers: 1-2, 3-32, 33-40, 41-56, 57-61, 62-100 101-114, 115-141, 142-144, 147-151, (x415-x887 are buried elsewhere).
For the tomb location and specifics on any person buried in the Imperial Crypt, find the tomb number located next to the person's name on the chart below then click on the appropriate group of tomb numbers: 1-2, 3-32, 33-40, 41-56, 57-61, 62-100 101-114, 115-141, 142-144, 147-151, (x415-x887 are buried elsewhere).
For the tomb location and specifics on any person buried in the Imperial Crypt, find the tomb number located next to the person's name on the chart below then click on the appropriate group of tomb numbers: 1-2, 3-32, 33-40, 41-56, 57-61, 62-100 101-114, 115-141, 142-144, 147-151, (x415-x887 are buried elsewhere).
For the tomb location and specifics on any person buried in the Imperial Crypt, find the tomb number located next to the person's name on the chart below then click on the appropriate group of tomb numbers: 1-2, 3-32, 33-40, 41-56, 57-61, 62-100 101-114, 115-141, 142-144, 147-151, (x415-x887 are buried elsewhere).
For the tomb location and specifics on any person buried in the Imperial Crypt, find the tomb number located next to the person's name on the chart below then click on the appropriate group of tomb numbers: 1-2, 3-32, 33-40, 41-56, 57-61, 62-100 101-114, 115-141, 142-144, 147-151, (x415-x887 are buried elsewhere).
(1923 - ), wife (1950) of Archduke Carl Ludwig.
There is room for two others along the east wall.
Any other entombments would most easily be located along the south wall in the
New Vault.
There is also room in the
Tuscan Vault,
but that would not follow the generally-chronological arrangement of the tombs.
Cremated remains can be accommodated within the piers in the corners of Ferdinand's Vault.
Since 1971 members of the family who die during the exile
(e.g. Archduke Rudolf (1919–2010))
are mostly entombed in the crypt of the Loretto Chapel of the Benedictine
Monastery at Muri
, Switzerland, which was founded in 1027 by Count Radebot von Habsburg.
, built at various times as more space was needed.
In 1960, with the various vaults overcrowded, a major rearrangement project began which resulted in the construction of the Children's Columbarium and the New Vault. At the same time many bodies were moved to those new areas, others were moved from the Tuscan Vault and Ferdinand’s Vault and walled up into the corner piers of Ferdinand's Vault. In 2003, the Vaults were air-conditioned, more for the preservation of the tombs than the comfort of visitors.
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
lies below the Capuchin Church and monastery founded in 1618 and dedicated in 1632. It is on the Neuer Markt square of the Innere Stadt
Innere Stadt
The Innere Stadt is the 1st municipal District of Vienna . The Innere Stadt is the old town of Vienna. Until the city boundaries were expanded in 1850, the Innere Stadt was congruent with the city of Vienna...
, near the imperial Hofburg Palace. Since 1633 it has been the principal place of entombment for members of the Habsburg dynasty.
The bodies of 145 Habsburg royalty
Royal family
A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...
, plus urns containing the hearts or cremated remains of four others, are deposited here, including 12 emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
s and 18 empresses
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
. The most recent entombment was in 2011. The visible 107 metal sarcophagi
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
and 5 heart urns range in style from puritan plain to exuberant rococo. The Imperial Crypt is one of the top tourist attractions in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
To this day, some of the dozen resident Capuchin friars
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...
continue their customary role as the guardians and caretakers of the crypt along with their other pastoral work in Vienna.
History
Anna of TyrolAnna of Tyrol
Anna of Tyrol was the wife of Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor. By this marriage she was Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, Queen of Bohemia and Queen of Hungary. Her parents were Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria and Anne Juliana Gonzaga.-Marriage:On 4 December 1611 in Vienna, Matthias and Anna were...
, wife of Emperor Matthias
Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor
Matthias of Austria was Holy Roman Emperor from 1612, King of Hungary and Croatia from 1608 and King of Bohemia from 1611...
conceived the idea of a Capuchin
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...
cloister and burial crypt for her and her husband, to be built in the neighborhood of the Hofburg castle in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
She provided funds for it in the will she made on 10 November 1617, and soon made the funds available by dying just a year later. Her spouse followed a year after that.
The foundation stone was laid on 8 September 1622 in the presence of Emperor Ferdinand II
Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand II , a member of the House of Habsburg, was Holy Roman Emperor , King of Bohemia , and King of Hungary . His rule coincided with the Thirty Years' War.- Life :...
and after slow progress caused by the distractions of the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
the church was dedicated on 25 July 1632 and at Easter of the next year, the simple sarcophagi containing the remains of Emperor Mathias and Empress Anna were transferred with great ceremony to what is now called the Founder's Vault.
Emperor Leopold I
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...
enlarged the crypt in 1657 in the area under the nave of the church and his son Emperor Joseph I
Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph I , Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, King of the Romans was the elder son of Emperor Leopold I and his third wife, Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg....
extended it further westward in 1710, but awkwardly, beginning the vault that his brother Emperor Karl VI
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...
continued westward in 1720 that extends under the chancel and the apse choir above. For the first time, a well-known architect (Lukas von Hildebrandt) was involved with an enlargement of the crypt.
In 1754, his daughter Empress Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands and Parma...
went even further west, completely past the church above, into the monastery garden with her domed addition that admits natural light. The imposing dome and crypt is the work of architect Jean Jadot de Ville-Issey.
During the reign of her grandson Emperor Francis II architect Johann Aman turned to the north for his addition in 1824.
The monastery surrounding the church had fallen into disrepair after 200 years of constant use, so during the reign of Emperor Ferdinand
Ferdinand I of Austria
Ferdinand I was Emperor of Austria, President of the German Confederation, King of Hungary and Bohemia , as well as associated dominions from the death of his father, Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, until his abdication after the Revolutions of 1848.He married Maria Anna of Savoy, the sixth child...
in 1840 the monastery (but not the church) was torn down and rebuilt. As part of that project, architect Johann Höhne built Ferdinand’s Vault and the Tuscan Vault as part of the basement of the new structure.
As part of the jubilee celebrating his 60 years on the throne in 1908, Emperor Franz Joseph had architect Cajo Perisic build another mausoleum chamber and a chapel to the east of Franz II and Ferdinand’s vaults. At the same time, new annexes for visitors were created on either side of the church.
By 1960 it was obvious from the deteriorating condition of the tombs that the environment of changing heat and humidity needed to be controlled if the historic sarcophagi were to survive for future generations. The New Vault, north of the Tuscan, Ferdinand’s and Franz Joseph’s Vaults, was built by architect Karl Schwanzer
Karl Schwanzer
Karl Schwanzer was an Austrian architect. He was an important figure of post-war architecture.-Life:...
, with metal doors by sculptor Rudolf Hoflehner. It added about 20% to the space of the crypt, and was used as part of a massive rearrangement of the tombs in the vaults.
The original small vault had held, besides the tombs of the two founders, those of a dozen children and had been called the Angel’s Vault. Those were moved to open niches newly made in the front wall of Leopold’s Vault.
Selected tombs from various other vaults were moved to the New Vault and grouped in themes such as Bishops, the direct ancestors of the last reigning emperor, and the immediate family of Archduke Charles
Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
Archduke Charles of Austria, Duke of Teschen was an Austrian field-marshal, the third son of emperor Leopold II and his wife Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain...
the victor of Aspern.
Thirty seven other tombs, of some minors and minor members of the ruling family, were walled-up into four piers created in Ferdinand’s Vault.
Thus about half of all the tombs were moved out of the original vaults to more orderly places as part of that great reorganization.
In 2003 another project made the crypt accessible to the handicapped, and opened previously unused doors so that the visitor route no longer requires the 100% backtracking that was necessary before. The entire crypt was also air conditioned to prevent deterioration of the tombs.
The sarcophagi
The free-standing tombs are usually variations of either a flat-topped storage chest, or a tub with sloping sides and a convex lid of tapered decks.Ornamentation ranges from simple to elaborate.
Until far in the 18th century, the most common material for a sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
here was a bronze-like alloy of tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
, coated with shellac
Shellac
Shellac is a resin secreted by the female lac bug, on trees in the forests of India and Thailand. It is processed and sold as dry flakes , which are dissolved in ethyl alcohol to make liquid shellac, which is used as a brush-on colorant, food glaze and wood finish...
.
The splendid tombs of the baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
and rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
eras are made of true bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
, a nobler and therefore more expensive material.
Reforming Emperor Joseph II
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
decreed simplified burial customs for the people, and introduced the use of lighter and cheaper copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
into the Imperial Crypt, where it was then used into the 19th century.
In the later 19th century a mixture of cast brass and bronze as well as silver-bronzed copper was adopted.
Other metals were used only rarely, except for silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
and gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
plating on decorations.
Various techniques of metalworking were used: full casting for the sarcophagus; hollow casting for decorative sculpture; carving
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, engraving
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
, and hammered relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
for surface decoration.
The parts for chests and covers are riveted together, ornaments and decorative figures are screwed on.
The sculptor responsible for the most elaborate tombs is Balthasar Ferdinand Moll
Balthasar Ferdinand Moll
Balthasar Ferdinand Moll 4 January 1717 - Vienna 3 March 1785) was one of the most famous sculptors in Vienna during the height of the Baroque era...
.
In order to guarantee the stability of the enormous display tombs, they have iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
bracings and wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
lining inside. This avoids both cave-ins and a buckling of the side walls from the weight of the cover. The cover of the double tomb of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, alone weighs approximately 1700 kg (3800 lb).
Within the outer case lays a wooden coffin
Coffin
A coffin is a funerary box used in the display and containment of dead people – either for burial or cremation.Contemporary North American English makes a distinction between "coffin", which is generally understood to denote a funerary box having six sides in plan view, and "casket", which...
that is wrapped in silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
(black with gold trim for rulers, red with silver trim for others). The coffin usually has two locks, the key to one is kept by the Capuchin Guardian of the crypt, the other is kept in the Schatzkammer
Schatzkammer (Vienna)
The Imperial Treasury in Vienna, Austria is located in the Hofburg with its entrance at the Schweizerhof , the oldest part of the palace rebuilt in a Renaissance style under Emperor Ferdinand I...
of the Hofburg palace in Vienna.
Within the coffin, the body usually has had the organs
Organ (anatomy)
In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in structural unit to serve a common function. Usually there is a main tissue and sporadic tissues . The main tissue is the one that is unique for the specific organ. For example, main tissue in the heart is the myocardium, while sporadic are...
removed as a necessary part of the embalming
Embalming
Embalming, in most modern cultures, is the art and science of temporarily preserving human remains to forestall decomposition and to make them suitable for public display at a funeral. The three goals of embalming are thus sanitization, presentation and preservation of a corpse to achieve this...
process for its display before the funeral. For about one-third of the bodies, the heart has been placed into a silver urn
Urn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...
and sent elsewhere (usually the Herzgruft
Herzgruft
The Herzgruft is the chamber protecting 54 urns containing the hearts of deceased members of the Habsburg dynasty. It is a small room off St. George's Chapel of the Augustinerkirche church located within the Hofburg complex in downtown Vienna, Austria...
in the Augustinerkirche
Augustinerkirche
The Augustinian Church in Vienna is a parish church located on Josefsplatz, next to the Hofburg, the winter palace of the Habsburg dynasty in Vienna. Originally built in the 14th century as the parish church of the imperial court of the Habsburgs, the harmonious Gothic interior was added in the...
), and for some the intestines and other organs have been put into a copper urn and deposited in the Dukes Crypt
Ducal Crypt (Vienna)
The Ducal Crypt is a mausoleum under the chancel of the Stephansdom in Vienna, Austria. It holds 78 containers with the bodies, hearts, or viscera of 72 members of the Habsburg dynasty.-History:...
in the catacombs of Vienna’s cathedral, the Stephansdom
Stephansdom
St. Stephen's Cathedral is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, OP...
.
Conservation of the tombs
Over the centuries, constant humidity, variations in temperature, and the host of visitors had taken a great toll on the sarcophagi. Corrosion craters, holes and tears had developed. Layers of the horizontal surfaces had peeled, base plates had broken through, decorative fixtures had been broken or stolen by visitors, the cast metal absorbed too much humidity and puffed up, and heavy covers had caused some sidewalls to bend or cave.The first major restoration effort was undertaken in 1852, but further work was needed by 1956 when the Gesellschaft zur Rettung der Kapuzinergruft (Association for Saving the Capuchin Crypt) came into being to inform the public of the problem, raise funds, and preserve and restore the tombs.
It was first necessary to create additional space and to dehumidify the crypt. After completion of the New Vault in 1960 and the transfer of 26 tombs from the overflowing Tuscan Vault, the work of dehumidification could begin. Also, a workshop was created in the south end of the Tuscan Vault where highly-skilled artisans could work on selected tombs temporarily moved there for restoration.
In 2003 remodelling of the ground-level visitor facilities took place to create a new visitor entrance and make the crypt accessible to the handicapped. The visitor route was also changed so that visitors now see the tombs in historical sequence by entering at one end and leaving at the other, instead of both entering and leaving via a single stairway that is in the middle of the route. Most importantly, the entire crypt was air conditioned so that humidity can be controlled.
The repair and conservation of the artistic work takes place in close cooperation with the monks, the Association, the Austrian Monument Office and the Vienna Old City Preservation Fund.
Persons buried here
The bodies of 145 persons (mainly members of the ruling line of the House of Habsburg and the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine), plus urns containing the hearts or cremated remains of four others, are deposited in one of the ten interconnected Vaults of the Imperial Crypt.They include 12 Emperors and 18 Empresses. The most recent entombment, that of Archduke Otto
Otto von Habsburg
Otto von Habsburg , also known by his royal name as Archduke Otto of Austria, was the last Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary from 1916 until the dissolution of the empire in 1918, a realm which comprised modern-day Austria, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia,...
, and his wife Archduchess Regina, was on 16 July 2011.
From other families there are 32 spouses, plus four others, who have found their resting place here.
The oldest person entombed here is Archduke Otto
Otto von Habsburg
Otto von Habsburg , also known by his royal name as Archduke Otto of Austria, was the last Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary from 1916 until the dissolution of the empire in 1918, a realm which comprised modern-day Austria, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia,...
, aged 98 years and 7 months. The next oldest is his mother, Zita of Bourbon-Parma, the last Austrian empress, at 97 years. Several died at birth and over 25% of those entombed here were five-years of age or less when they died.
Emperors buried here:
- Emperor Matthias
- Emperor Ferdinand III
- Emperor Leopold I
- Emperor Joseph I
- Emperor Charles VI
- Emperor Francis I Stephen
- Emperor Joseph II
- Emperor Leopold II
- Emperor Francis II
- Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria
- Archduke Maximilian, Emperor of Mexico
- Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria
Empresses buried here:
- Anna, consort of Emperor Mathias
- Maria Anna, consort of Emperor Ferdinand III
- Eleonora Magdalena, consort of Emperor Ferdinand III
- Maria Leopoldina, consort of Emperor Ferdinand III
- Margaret Theresa, consort of Emperor Leopold I
- Eleonora Magdalena, consort of Emperor Leopold I
- Elisabeth Christina, consort of Emperor Karl VI
- Maria Theresa, consort of Emperor Francis I
- Maria Josepha, consort of Emperor Joseph II
- Isabella Maria, consort of Emperor Joseph II
- Elisabeth Wilhelmine, consort of Emperor Francis II
- Maria Teresa Carolina consort of Emperor Franci II
- Maria Ludowika, consort of Emperor Francis II
- Karolina Augusta, consort of Emperor Francis II
- Archduchess Maria Louise, Empress of France
- Maria Anna, consort of Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria
- Elisabeth, consort of Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria
- Zita, consort of Emperor Charles of Austria
(Also, the hearts of Empresses Claudia Felicitas and Amalie Wilhelmine are here, but their bodies are buried elsewhere.)
All 146 persons buried here (in whole or in part) are shown on the directory charts below, together with links to a detailed text listing
Imperial Crypt Vaults
right|thumb|400px|Plan of the Imperial Crypt A. Founders’ VaultB. Children’s ColumbariumC. Leopold's VaultD. Karl's VaultE. Maria Theresa’s VaultF. Franz’s VaultG. Ferdinand’s VaultH. New VaultI. Franz Joseph’s VaultJ. Crypt ChapelK...
.
For ease of use, they show the Habsburg family buried here as family trees based upon lines of descent.
- Go directly to family of the Founders (c. 1450 - c. 1650)
- Go directly to descendents of Emperor Ferdinand III (c. 1600 - c. 1750)
- Go directly to descendents of Empress Maria Theresa (c. 1725 - c. 1875)
- Go directly to descendents of Emperor Leopold II (c. 1750 - c. 1900)
- Go directly to descendents of Emperor Francis II (c. 1775 - end of the monarchy)
- Go directly to descendents of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany (c. 1775 - c. 1900).
Founders' Family
This group covers the founders of the Imperial Crypt (and the first to be buried here), Empress Anna of TyrolAnna of Tyrol
Anna of Tyrol was the wife of Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor. By this marriage she was Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, Queen of Bohemia and Queen of Hungary. Her parents were Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria and Anne Juliana Gonzaga.-Marriage:On 4 December 1611 in Vienna, Matthias and Anna were...
and her cousin and husband Emperor Mathias. They are shown with their descent from Emperor Friedrich III
Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick the Peaceful KG was Duke of Austria as Frederick V from 1424, the successor of Albert II as German King as Frederick IV from 1440, and Holy Roman Emperor as Frederick III from 1452...
and their relationship to their successor, Emperor Ferdinand II
Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand II , a member of the House of Habsburg, was Holy Roman Emperor , King of Bohemia , and King of Hungary . His rule coincided with the Thirty Years' War.- Life :...
.
For the tomb location and specifics on any person buried in the Imperial Crypt, find the tomb number located next to the person's name on the chart below then click on the appropriate group of tomb numbers: 1-2, 3-32, 33-40, 41-56, 57-61, 62-100 101-114, 115-141, 142-144, 147-151, (x415-x887 are buried elsewhere).
Emperor Ferdinand III's family
This group shows descendants of Emperor Ferdinand III through the extinction of the male Habsburg line with the death of Emperor Charles VI.For the tomb location and specifics on any person buried in the Imperial Crypt, find the tomb number located next to the person's name on the chart below then click on the appropriate group of tomb numbers: 1-2, 3-32, 33-40, 41-56, 57-61, 62-100 101-114, 115-141, 142-144, 147-151, (x415-x887 are buried elsewhere).
Empress Maria Theresa's family
The male Habsburg line had become extinct upon the death of Emperor Charles VI, so Empress Maria Theresa’s marriage to the Duke of Lorraine established the House of Habsburg-Lorraine which continues through the following charts and has many living members today.For the tomb location and specifics on any person buried in the Imperial Crypt, find the tomb number located next to the person's name on the chart below then click on the appropriate group of tomb numbers: 1-2, 3-32, 33-40, 41-56, 57-61, 62-100 101-114, 115-141, 142-144, 147-151, (x415-x887 are buried elsewhere).
Emperor Leopold II's family
This group shows offspring of Empress Maria Theresa’s second son, Emperor Leopold II and how they split into two major lines and some minor ones. All of those born Habsburg after the time of Maria Theresa who are buried here are descended from Emperor Leopold II.For the tomb location and specifics on any person buried in the Imperial Crypt, find the tomb number located next to the person's name on the chart below then click on the appropriate group of tomb numbers: 1-2, 3-32, 33-40, 41-56, 57-61, 62-100 101-114, 115-141, 142-144, 147-151, (x415-x887 are buried elsewhere).
Emperor Francis II's family
This group covers the ruling line from the ascent of Emperor Franz II (1792) to the end of the monarchy (1918).For the tomb location and specifics on any person buried in the Imperial Crypt, find the tomb number located next to the person's name on the chart below then click on the appropriate group of tomb numbers: 1-2, 3-32, 33-40, 41-56, 57-61, 62-100 101-114, 115-141, 142-144, 147-151, (x415-x887 are buried elsewhere).
Tuscan line
When the second son of Empress Maria Theresa was called from his post of Grand Duke of Tuscany to become Emperor, he separated the Grand Duchy from the inheritance that goes with the imperial crown, installing his second son, Ferdinand and his heirs as successors to those lands and that title. This group shows that line until the absorption of Tuscany into the Kingdom of Italy.For the tomb location and specifics on any person buried in the Imperial Crypt, find the tomb number located next to the person's name on the chart below then click on the appropriate group of tomb numbers: 1-2, 3-32, 33-40, 41-56, 57-61, 62-100 101-114, 115-141, 142-144, 147-151, (x415-x887 are buried elsewhere).
Future entombments
A specific place remaining in the Crypt Chapel is reserved for Archduchess YolandeArchduchess Yolande of Austria
Archduchess Yolande of Austria is the widowed wife of Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria.-Family:...
(1923 - ), wife (1950) of Archduke Carl Ludwig.
There is room for two others along the east wall.
Any other entombments would most easily be located along the south wall in the
New Vault.
There is also room in the
Tuscan Vault,
but that would not follow the generally-chronological arrangement of the tombs.
Cremated remains can be accommodated within the piers in the corners of Ferdinand's Vault.
Since 1971 members of the family who die during the exile
(e.g. Archduke Rudolf (1919–2010))
are mostly entombed in the crypt of the Loretto Chapel of the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
Monastery at Muri
Muri Abbey
Muri Abbey was a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. It flourished for over eight centuries at Muri, in the Canton of Aargau, near Basle in Switzerland...
, Switzerland, which was founded in 1027 by Count Radebot von Habsburg.
Vaults
The Imperial Crypt today consists of an interconnected series of ten subterranean vaulted roomsImperial Crypt Vaults
right|thumb|400px|Plan of the Imperial Crypt A. Founders’ VaultB. Children’s ColumbariumC. Leopold's VaultD. Karl's VaultE. Maria Theresa’s VaultF. Franz’s VaultG. Ferdinand’s VaultH. New VaultI. Franz Joseph’s VaultJ. Crypt ChapelK...
, built at various times as more space was needed.
- The Founders' Vault
- Leopold’s Vault
- Karl's Vault
- Maria Theresa's Vault
- Franz's Vault
- Ferdinand’s Vault
- Tuscan Vault
- New Vault
- Franz Joseph's Vault
- The Crypt Chapel
In 1960, with the various vaults overcrowded, a major rearrangement project began which resulted in the construction of the Children's Columbarium and the New Vault. At the same time many bodies were moved to those new areas, others were moved from the Tuscan Vault and Ferdinand’s Vault and walled up into the corner piers of Ferdinand's Vault. In 2003, the Vaults were air-conditioned, more for the preservation of the tombs than the comfort of visitors.
See also
- Ducal Crypt (Vienna)Ducal Crypt (Vienna)The Ducal Crypt is a mausoleum under the chancel of the Stephansdom in Vienna, Austria. It holds 78 containers with the bodies, hearts, or viscera of 72 members of the Habsburg dynasty.-History:...
for the traditional depository of the visceraViscusIn anatomy, a viscus is an internal organ, and viscera is the plural form. The viscera, when removed from a butchered animal, are known collectively as offal...
of those entombed here. - Herzgruft (Vienna) for the traditional depository of the hearts of those entombed here.
- Palatinal CryptPalatinal CryptThe Palatinal Crypt in Buda Castle, Budapest is the burial place of the Hungarian branch of the Habsburg dynasty, founded by Archduke Joseph, Palatine of Hungary...
for the burial place of the Hungarian Habsburgs in Buda CastleBuda CastleBuda Castle is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings in Budapest, first completed in 1265. In the past, it was also called Royal Palace and Royal Castle ....
. - Mayerling IncidentMayerling IncidentThe Mayerling Incident refers to the series of events leading to the apparent murder-suicide of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and his lover Baroness Mary Vetsera. Rudolf was the only son of Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria and Empress Elisabeth, and heir to the throne of the combined...
External links
- Official Website (in German)
- Online Gotha maintained by Paul Theroff
- Online Capuchin Monastery in Vienna] (in German)
- Picture from the cript - Br. Markus Mach OFM cap
- Weiss-Krejci, E. Restless corpses. 'Secondary burial' in the Babenberg and Habsburg dynasties. Antiquity 75:769-780, 2001. - figures 4 and 6
- Weiss-Krejci, E. Mortuary representations of the noble house. A cross-cultural comparison between collective tombs of the ancient Maya and dynastic Europe. Journal of Social Archaeology 4/3:368-404, 2004.