Imperial Crypt, Imperial burial vault in Innere Stadt, Austria
The Imperial Crypt is an underground burial place in the Innere Stadt of Vienna, located beneath the Capuchin Church. Vaulted chambers connect into a branching system of nine rooms where metal coffins and stone tombs stand in rows.
Anna of Tyrol, wife of Emperor Matthias, ordered the creation of this vault in her 1617 testament, which was completed in 1633. For over three centuries it remained the preferred resting place for members of the ruling family, until the monarchy ended in 1918.
Most tombs carry Latin inscriptions listing titles and virtues of the deceased, while angel and skull motifs reveal the religious beliefs of their era. Visitors often notice the varying size of burial monuments, ranging from simple metal boxes to room-filling works of art.
The chambers lie below street level and are reached by a stone staircase starting at the main entrance of the Capuchin Church. Photography is allowed, but lighting is dim and corridors can feel tight during busy periods.
The hearts and internal organs of the Habsburgs were buried separately and do not rest here but in other Viennese churches. This practice of multiple burial followed an old tradition that symbolically distributed the body across several consecrated sites.
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