The bare concrete ceiling sculpted in triangular "folds" feels remarkably plain after all the elaborate baroque/rococo ornamentation. It was indeed only constructed in the 1960s in order to make for more space which would allow for better preservation work on the old caskets.
#DARK CRYPT TOME4 SERIES#
In fact, the new wing of the Neue Gruft ('new crypt') that follows after a series of comparatively low-key vaults is striking in its modernity.
None of what follows in the rest of the crypt can top all this in morbid aesthetics at least. Note also the tiny coffin poking out a bit UNDER Isabella's sarcophagus: it's that of another daughter of hers, who had died as a baby only days after her mother's death, so it was decided to keep them (almost) together in death too.
Her mother, Isabella of Parma, lies to her left in the sarcophagus bearing a particularly in-your-face skull sculpture. But she was still given a full-size sarcophagus. As you can see she died young, namely at the age of just under eight years. the (nearly) identically named little Maria Theresia's sarcophagus, whose lid represents her as a life-size "sleeping" sculpture. Hers is (naturally) the most over-the-top sarcophagus and dominates the ensemble in this high, domed central part of the crypt. (The original crown, by the way, can be seen in the Treasury of the Hofburg palace – together with loads of other gold-and-jewellery marvels … it's now also a highly recommended tourist attraction!).īeyond a small empty area follows the exuberant Maria Theresa's Vault. for the veiled women's heads on the sarcophagus to the right, and opposite on Charles VI's sarcophagus admire the (grinning?) skulls bearing the crown of the Holy Roman Empire. The next vault, actually an extension of the main hall and called Karlsgruft, contains the most remarkable of all morbid ornamentation in the Imperial Crypt – look out esp. This is already one of the best bits, especially the sarcophagi on the right-hand side bearing elaborate gothic ornamentation with some grim skulls and crossbones. The main hall stretches out to the right.
What there is to see: From the entrance you first descend some stairs into a plain white anteroom, then you enter the first of the crypt's rooms, its oldest part is the small founders' vault through a gate ahead, the niches inside the wall to the left are a recent addition.
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