Thun-Hohenstein Vault, Noble family tomb in Klášterec nad Ohří, Czech Republic.
The Thun-Hohenstein Vault lies beneath the Holy Trinity Church and serves as the final resting place for generations of this noble family. The structure displays the typical stone construction and solemn design of European aristocratic burial chambers.
The Thun-Hohenstein family acquired the Klášterec and Nový Šumburk estates in 1623, when Kryštof Šimon Thun bought them. Michael Osvald had the early Baroque Church of the Holy Trinity built in 1665–1670 to plans by Italian architect Carlo Lurago, and the family vault was set up in its western part at the same time. Michael Osvald was the first buried there, in 1694; after the Josephine reforms church crypts fell out of use. Josef Osvald I had the crypt restored from 1861, and after a 1950 flood the coffins were moved out until the crypt was reconstructed in 1992–1993 and consecrated on 4 June 1993.
The vault is entered from outside through a structure added in 1861, when the entrance from the church had to be closed for health regulations. Inside, local craftsmen Karel and David Meloun made the iron door, stair handrails and the grille with a gate dividing the accessible part; painter Josef Bernášek created a colour family tree of the Klášterec branch, compiled by Dr. Kynčil.
The vault is reached by a separate exterior entrance building added in 1861, not from inside the church; a high perimeter wall surrounds it. It has been open to the public since its consecration on 4 June 1993. A grille with a gate closes off the accessible part of the crypt.
During the 1992–1993 reconstruction, the remains of the first three family members buried here were found and identified by the tin tablets placed with them. Local craftsmen Karel Meloun and his son David made the entrance doors, the wrought-iron handrails and the grille with a gate that closes off the accessible part of the crypt.
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