Kaisergruft

The Imperial Crypt in Vienna is the most important burial place of the House of Habsburg and lies beneath the Capuchin monastery complex on Neuer Markt in the city center. It was endowed in her will by Empress Anna, whose husband, Emperor Matthias, had it built in 1618. Construction began in 1622, though the adjoining church was not completed until 1632. Over the centuries, the underground complex was expanded eight times, so that today it extends beneath the entire church building. The oldest section, the Founders' Crypt, lies beneath the opulent Imperial Chapel. While you can visit the monastery church, with its simple architecture and the Pietà Chapel, the interior rooms of the monastery itself are closed to the public. The crypt holds the coffins of numerous rulers and is a central site of Austrian history, documenting the Habsburgs' dynastic tradition across many generations.