Kapuzinergruft
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Habsburg_Emperor_death_head_dsc01325.jpg
Kaiser_Franz_Joseph_tomb_-_Vienna.jpg
Since 1633, the significant members of the Habsburg family have been buried in the so-called Kapuziner or Kaisergruft (Imperial crypt) in Vienna. One hundred forty-six aristocrats, including twelve Emperors, 19 Empresses and around 100 Archdukes have found their resting place here.
The first room contains Emperor Matthias, founder of the crypt, and his wife, Anna, in rather simple sarcophagi. The double casket of Maria Theresia and her husband, Francis I, sculpted by B. F. Moll, is of particular artistic merit and is probably the most glorious in terms of design. Francis Joseph, in 1916, was the last emperor entombed here. The most recent arrival is Zita, Austria's last Empress, who died in 1989 in exile but received a very solemn funeral service when she was entombed.
The Imperial Burial Vault lies below the Capuchin Church, which was built between 1622 and 1632. To this day, the Capuchin friars are the guardians and caretakers of the vault. According to tradition, from 1654 to 1878, the actual hearts of the Habsburgs were removed from their bodies and entombed in a special vault in the Church of the Augustinian Friars.
Some members of the Habsburg buried in the Kaisergruft include:
- Amalia Wilhelmina
- Ferdinand I
- Ferdinand III
- Ferdinand IV
- Franz I. Stefan
- Franz II
- Franz Josef
- Elisabeth Eugenie Amalie “Sissi”
- Ferdinand Maximillian
- Maria Theresia
- Crown Prince Rudolf
- Zita
- Joseph I
- Joseph II
- Leopold I
- Leopold II
- Margarete Theresia
- Maria Louise
- Maximilian I of Mexico
External link
- The floorplan (http://www.kaisergruft.at/kaisergruft/gruft1.htm)