Kaisergruft, Vienna

Kaisergruft is a burial crypt beneath the Capuchin church and monastery, and since 1633 it has served as the principal resting place of the Habsburg family. The visible sarcophagi turn that history into a striking metal landscape, ranging from severe, undecorated forms to lavish Rococo works. Look at the double sarcophagus made for Empress Maria Theresa and her husband: its cover weighs approximately 1700 kg, and Balthasar Ferdinand Moll created the most elaborate tombs here.

The crypt began with Empress Anna, who provided for a monastery and burial place in her will in 1617. Construction started in 1622, and the completed burial chamber received Anna and Emperor Matthias in 1633. Since then, the complex has expanded eight times.

Today, 12 emperors, 19 empresses, and many other members of the dynasty rest here; the German account records 147 bodies and four heart urns. The latest family burial took place on the seventh of October 2023, when Yolande de Ligne was laid to rest beside her husband. Capuchin friars continue to care for this extraordinary subterranean family cemetery.