Imperial Crypt
Imperial Crypt—German Kaisergruft, also called the Capuchin Crypt (Kapuzinergruft)—began as a Habsburg burial plan tied to Anna of Tyrol. In her will dated 10 November 1617, she set funds in motion for a Capuchin cloister and crypt near the Hofburg, and after her death in 1618 construction could start. The foundation stone was laid on 8 September 1622, and the church was dedicated on 25 July 1632. A year later, at Easter, the simple sarcophagi holding Emperor Matthias and Empress Anna were transferred to the Founders Vault, beginning the crypt’s role as the principal entombment site for the House of Habsburg since 1633. The burial chamber ultimately contained the bones of 145 Habsburg relatives, including 12 emperors and 18 empresses, with 107 metal sarcophagi—and it even held urns for hearts or cremated remains for four others. Even the visual range is part of its story, from puritan plain to exuberant rococo. …
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