Herzgruft

About

The Herzgruft (German for 'Heart Crypt') is a burial chamber that protects 54 urns containing the hearts of members of the House of Habsburg. The crypt is located behind the Loreto Chapel in the Augustinian Church within the Hofburg Palace complex in Vienna, Austria. The first heart, belonging to King Ferdinand IV, was placed in the Augustinian Church on 10 July 1654, according to his wishes. The last heart, belonging to Archduke Franz Karl of Austria, was placed in the crypt on 8 March 1878. The bodies of all but three of the hearts are in the Imperial Crypt a few blocks away.

King Ferdinand IV instructed that his heart would be interred at the foot of the Holy Mother in the Augustinian Church in Vienna. Following the death of the king on 9 July 1654, the corpse was embalmed and the heart was placed in a goblet and displayed on the death bed. The next day, around 9:00 pm, the heart was transferred to the Loreto Chapel and buried at the foot of the Madonna in a simple celebration. With this simple act of piety, a custom was started to bury the hearts of all members of the House of Habsburg in the crypt alongside the heart of King Ferdinand IV. By 1878, 54 hearts had been brought to this simple crypt.

In the upper row, arranged in sequence of death date (from left to right):

- 1 Empress Anna of Tyrol (4 October 1585 – 15 December 1618) →Family Tree Daughter of Ferdinand II, Duke of Tyrol and wife of her cousin Emperor Matthias. 2 Buried in tomb 1 in the Imperial Crypt.

- 2 Emperor Matthias (1557–1619) →Family Tree Third son of Emperor Maximilian II. Husband of Empress Anna. 1 Buried in tomb 2 in the Imperial Crypt.

- 3 Emperor Ferdinand II (1578–1637) →Family Tree Eldest son of Archduke Charles II of Styria. Buried in the Grazer Dom, Graz.

- 4 King Ferdinand IV of the Romans (8 September 1633 – 9 July 1654) →Family Tree Eldest son of Emperor Ferdinand III. Founder of this Herzgruft. Buried in tomb 29 in the Imperial Crypt.

- 5 Archduke Leopold Wilhelm (6 April 1614 – 20 November 1662) →Family Tree Son of Emperor Ferdinand II. 3 Named at age 13 to take over his uncle Leopold's renounced see of Halberstaedt (when he became 22, this was confirmed by the Pope) and later became also Bishop of Olomouc, Bishop of Breslau, and Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights. Buried in tomb 115 in the Imperial Crypt.

- 6 Empress Margarita Teresa (12 August 1651 – 12 March 1673) →Family Tree Niece, cousine and first wife of Emperor Leopold I 11 at age 15. Buried in tomb 20 in the Imperial Crypt.

- 7 Empress Eleonora Magdalena of Mantua-Nevers-Gonzaga (18 November 1630 – 6 December 1686) →Family Tree Third wife of Emperor Ferdinand III. Foundress of the Order of the Starry Cross (the Sternkreuzorden). Buried in tomb 19 in the Imperial Crypt.

- 8 Archduchess Maria Antonia (18 January 1669 – 24 December 1692) →Family Tree Daughter of Emperor Leopold I 11 and wife of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria. Buried in tomb 28 in the Imperial Crypt.

- 9 Archduchess Maria Theresia (1684–1696) →Family Tree Twelve-year-old daughter of Emperor Leopold I. 11 Buried in tomb 25 of the Imperial Crypt.

- 10 Archduchess Maria Josepha (1687–1703) →Family Tree Daughter of Emperor Leopold I. 11 Buried in tomb 16 in the Imperial Crypt.

- 11 Emperor Leopold I (9 June 1640 – 5 May 1705) →Family Tree Second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and father of Emperors Joseph I 12 and Karl IV. 13 Buried in tomb 37 in the Imperial Crypt.

- 12 Emperor Joseph I (1678–1711) →Family Tree Son of Emperor Leopold I. 11 Buried in tomb 35 in the Imperial Crypt.

- 13 Emperor Karl VI (1 October 1685 – 20 October 1740) →Family Tree Younger son of Emperor Leopold I. 11 Buried in tomb 40 in the Imperial Crypt.

- 14 Archduchess Maria Elisabeth (1680–1741) →Family Tree Daughter of Emperor Leopold I. 11 Buried in tomb 38 in the Imperial Crypt.

- 15 Archduchess Maria Anna (14 September 1718 – 16 December 1744) →Family Tree Daughter of Emperor Karl VI. 13 and sister of Empress Maria Theresia. 21 Buried in tomb 39 in the Imperial Crypt.

- 16 Unnamed princess (1744) →Family Tree Daughter of Prince Charles of Lorraine and Archduchess Maria Anna. 15 Buried in tomb 47 in the Imperial Crypt.

- 17 Empress Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (28 August 1691 – 21 December 1750) →Family Tree Wife (1708) of Emperor Karl VI 13 and mother of Empress Maria Theresa. 21 Buried in tomb 36 in the Imperial Crypt.