Another religious site of worship in Vienna’s city centre is the Capuchin Church with the Capuchin Crypt inside it, which runs from the corner of the Neuer Markt into Tegetthoffstraße.
Beneath this house of God lies the famous Imperial Crypt, where members of the Austrian imperial family are buried. In total, 149 members of the Habsburg family have been laid to rest here since 1633. What stands out above all is the magnificent double sarcophagus of Maria Theresa and Franz Stephan of Lorraine, created by the artist Balthasar Ferdinand Moll. Strikingly plain beside it is the coffin of the reform emperor Joseph II, who as Maria Theresa’s son carried his contrasting approach through even to the design of his sarcophagus.
The Imperial Crypt is located beneath the Capuchin Church and is reserved for members of the former Austrian ruling house of Habsburg.
Burials have taken place in the crypt since 1633. 149 Habsburgs, among them 12 emperors as well as 19 empresses and queens, have found their final resting place there. The magnificent double sarcophagus for Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor Franz I Stephan of Lorraine, is a work by Balthasar Ferdinand Moll.
Of course, visitors can also view the coffins of Emperor Franz Joseph and Sisi, as well as those of their son, Crown Prince Rudolf. The last Austrian empress, Zita, was buried here in 1989, and in 2011 her eldest son and European politician Otto followed with his wife Regina. The hearts of the Habsburgs are kept in the nearby Augustinian Church.
Let yourself be inspired by this history-steeped and mystical place, which has also found a place in world literature through the novel “The Emperor’s Tomb” („Die Kapuzinergruft“) by the Austrian writer Joseph Roth.
