Imperial Crypt - Vaults - Tuscan Vault

Tuscan Vault

The Toscanagruft was built in 1842, along with Ferdinand’s Vault. At that time there were 85 bodies plus the heart urns of three other persons in the five vaults of the crypt.

The Tuscan Vault once held many more than the present 14 tombs, but most were moved to the New Vault or enclosed within the piers of Ferdinand’s Vault during the major rearrangement of 1960. The 5-meter wide vault is very large, being 21 meters long, and extends along the entire western lengths of both Ferdinand's Vault and Franz’s Vault, ending only when it meets the outside wall of the west transept of Maria Theresia's Vault.

This vault takes its name from the many descendants of the younger sons of Emperor Leopold II,₁₁₃ as Grand Duke of Tuscany, who are entombed here.

Note: the arrangement of tombs listed below was accurate before the 2003 renovation, but they have been rearranged since then.

In the archway from Ferdinand’s Vault, from left to right:

• Duke Albert of Saxony-Teschen (11 July 1738 - 10 February 1822) Husband of Archduchess Maria Christina.₁₁₂ The Albertina museum, in his former palace, is named for him because his collection of paintings formed the nucleus of the museum. After the early death of their only child,₅₄ the couple became the adoptive parents of Archduke Karl,₁₂₂ the victor of Aspern. His heart is buried in the Herzgruft in the Augustinerkirche.

• Archduchess Maria Christina Johanna Josephe Antonie ("Mimi") (3 May 1742 - 24 June 1798) Favorite daughter of Empress Maria Theresia.₅₆ Her mother stalled arranged marriages until after the death of her father, Emperor Franz I Stephen,₅₅ so that Maria Christina could marry for love instead of reasons of state—the only child allowed to do so. She chose Duke Albert of Teschen.₁₁₁ The famous and moving monument he erected to her memory is in the Augustinerkirche. She died of Typhus at age 56. Her heart is buried in the Herzgruft in the Augustinerkirche.

• Emperor Leopold II (1747 - 1792) Third son of Empress Maria Theresia.₅₆ Most of his career was spent in Florence, reforming the governance there as Grand Duke of Tuscany, and only his final two years were as Emperor. His heart is buried in the Herzgruft in the Augustinerkirche.

• Empress Maria Ludovika (24 November 1745 - 15 May 1792) Originally contracted to marry Empress Maria Theresia's₅₆ second son, Archduke Karl Joseph,₄₄ his early death diverted her instead to the third son, who later became Emperor Leopold II.₁₁₃ In the course of 21 years, she bore her not-always-faithful husband 16 children, among them Emperor Franz II,₅₇ and Archduke Karl₁₂₂ the victor of Aspern. Grieving for her husband, she outlived him by only two months leaving many small children. Her heart is buried in the Herzgruft in the Augustinerkirche.

Behind them, from left to right:

• Archduke Ferdinand Karl Anton Joseph Johann Stanislaus (1 June 1754 - 24 December 1806) Fourth son of Empress Maria Theresia.₅₆ Governor of Lombardy and, later, the Austrian Netherlands. Founder of the House of Austria-Este.₁₀₂, _x779 His heart is buried in the Herzgruft in the Augustinerkirche.

• Archduchess Maria Beatrix of Este (7 April 1750 - 14 November 1829) Wife of Archduke Ferdinand Karl Anton.₁₀₅

• Queen Maria Carolina of Naples and Sicily 1752 - 1814) Daughter of Empress Maria Theresia.₅₆ Wife of King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies. Almost everyone buried in the Imperial Crypt who was born after 1765 is a descendant of her or her brother Emperor Leopold II.₁₁₃ Her heart is buried in the Herzgruft in the Augustinerkirche.

To the right of the archway, along the north wall, from left to right:

• Archduke Ferdinand IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany Salvatore Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Battista Francesco Lodovico Gonzaga Raffaele Ranerio Gennaro (1835 - 1908) Son of Archduke Leopold II,₁₀₉ Grand Duke of Tuscany. Married (1856) Anne of Saxony (Dresden 4 January 1836 - Naples 10 February 1859), then (1868) Alicia of Bourbon-Parma (Parma 27 December 1849 - Schwertberg 16 January 1935). Lost his throne, 9 months after his father₁₀₉ had abdicated it to him, when Tuscany was annexed to Italy in 1860.

• Archduke Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany (3 October 1797 - 29 January 1870) Son of Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany._x769 Abdicated his throne in 1859 in favor of his son.₁₀₈

• Archduke Rainer Ferdinand Maria Johann Evangelist Franz Ignaz (11 January 1827 - 27 January 1913) Son of Archduke Rainer._x783 Married Archduchess Marie Karoline.₈₃ A major ancient manuscript collector, his 100,000-piece collection is the nucleus of the Papyrus Museum of the Austrian National Library.

To the left of the archway, along the west wall, from left to right:

• Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria-Este (1781 - 1850) Son of Archduke Ferdinand Karl Anton.₁₀₅ Military commander during the Napoleonic Wars. His heart is buried in the Herzgruft in the Augustinerkirche.

• Archduke Anton Viktor (31 August 1779 - 2 April 1835) Eighth son of Emperor Leopold II.₁₁₃ Last Grand Master of the Order of Teutonic Knights before Napoleon suppressed it outside of the Habsburg lands. It still functions today, as a religious order operating charitable hospitals in Europe. His heart is buried in the Herzgruft in the Augustinerkirche.

• Archduke Ludwig Joseph (13 December 1784 - 21 December 1864) Eleventh son of Emperor Leopold II.₁₁₃ Promoter of industrialization in Austria after studying its success in England. Member of the Council of State that exercised power during the reign of the feeble-minded Emperor Ferdinand₆₂ of Austria. His heart is buried in the Herzgruft in the Augustinerkirche.

In front of them, along the east wall:

• Archduke Franz V of Austria-Este, Duke of Modena (1819 - 1875) Son of Franz IV of Austria-Este._x779 After the death of his mother Maria Beatrice of Savoy in 1840, he was considered the legitimate heir to the British throne by Jacobites. He was the last reigning Duke of Modena, which was forcibly incorporated into the new Kingdom of Italy in 1860. Having no surviving descendant, he left most of his huge estate to his ill-fated cousin Archduke Franz Ferdinand,_x863 who subsequently used the title Archduke of Austria-Este. The art collection of his now-extinct branch, accumulated over centuries, is now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum.