Vienna: Kapuzinergruft … Imperial Crypt

Having visited some of the places where the Habsburgs lived and played, it seemed only right that we also see where they were buried.

So, with time on our hands — and our feet not protesting the decision — from the Vienna State Opera House, we headed to the Imperial Crypt … also referred to as the Capuchin Crypt.

The Capuchins, beneath whose church and monastery the crypt is located, have been the caretakers and guardians of the burial grounds. The idea of a cloister and crypt was conceived by Anna of Tyrol, the wife of Emperor Matthias. The funds she provided in her will were released upon her death in 1618 to build what is today known as the Founders Vault. She and the emperor were re-interred here following the completion of the vault in 1632. Over the years, the crypt was enlarged by various Habsburg monarchs. Today there are ten vaults in all, and a crypt chapel.

The Habsburgs had a very strict court protocol for their funerals. This included the removal of the entrails for embalming. These were then placed in urns that were buried in the Ducal Crypt at St Stephens Cathedral. The heart was also removed and placed in an urn that was buried in the Herzgruft [Heart Room] at the St George’s Chapel of the Augustinerkirche. As for the body … it was put in velvet-lined wooden coffin that was placed inside a sarcophagus for internment at the Imperial Crypt. This tradition continued until 1878 … after which, the entire body was buried in one place at the Imperial Crypt.

According to the Kapuzinergruft website, some 150 people are interred at the Imperial Crypt, including 12 emperors and 22 empresses and queens. All the sarcophagi — except for that of Emperor Franz Joseph I — are made of metal. His is made of stone.

After taking a quick peek inside the Capuchin Church, we purchased our senior admission to the crypt and walked through the vaults. It was interesting to note how rank continued to have privilege even after death. While a number of sarcaphogi were almost puritan-like in their simplicity, others were quite the opposite … as evidenced by their over-the-top Rococo designs. The most elaborate of these is the dual sarcophagus of Emperor Franz and his wife, Empress Maria Theresa.

The entire crypt, with the exception of the Franz Joseph Vault, was quite dimly lit. In contrast, this one was quite bright … its ceiling painted a light blue with what look like cherubs looking down through the clouds. The emperor’s stone sarcophagus is flanked by the metal sarcophagi of his empress, Sisi, and their son, Crown Prince Rudolf. Having read that the Habsburgs were devout Catholics, I was surprised to see that Rudolf was interred at the crypt. After all, he had died in a suicide pact in Mayerling after killing his 17-year-old mistress. Then I remembered a docent explaining that the prince’s brain had been autopsied to prove that he was in the midst of a psychotic break at the time of the murder-suicide … thus allowing his burial at the crypt. Hmmmm!

Anyway, morbid as visiting the crypt might seem, it was quite interesting.Baca lagi