Sunday, March 22, 2015

Imperial Crypt

A visit to the Imperial Crypt left us fascinated, not only by the opulence of the early royal burials, but by the fixation with the "death's head" that show up on most of the tombs.  The Imperial Crypt is the final resting place for the Habsberg royalty.  Here lie 12 emperors, 18 empresses, and everyone else in the family.  There's room for a few more.  Here we go:





Wow.  The crypt is cared for by the monks of the Capuchin church that houses it.  Those who passed away later lie in less opulent quarters, but equally watched over:


We're thinking of reading up on the history of this great dynasty, but a look at the size and complexity of this gang gives one pause.  It would be a task to figure them all out, especially since like most royalty, they all tend to have the same given names.  Wikipedia has a good article, search for Imperial Crypt Vienna.