Capuchin Church, Vienna
The Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria, is a Roman Catholic church and monastery run by the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. Located on the Neuer Markt square in the Innere Stadt near the Hofburg Palace, the Capuchin Church is most famous for containing the Imperial Crypt, the final resting place for members of the House of Habsburg. The official name is the Church of Saint Mary of the Angels.
History
Around 1599, the Capuchin brothers under Lawrence of Brindisi resided at Vienna on their way to Prague, where they had been sent by Pope Clement VIII in the course of the Counter-Reformation. The church was donated by the will of Anna of Tyrol, consort of Holy Roman Emperor Matthias of Habsburg. Construction was delayed due to the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War and was not finished until 1632, under the rule of Matthias' successor, Ferdinand II. It was consecrated in 1632.The aisleless church contains the tombs of friar Marco d'Aviano and architect Donato Felice d'Allio as well as a pietà by Peter Strudel. Its subterranean mausoleum is the Imperial Crypt that has been the principal place of entombment for the Habsburg dynasty, emperors of the Holy Roman Empire, and their descendants.
The lying in repose for the last heir to the Austrian and Hungarian throne, Otto von Habsburg, took place in a side chapel on 15 July 2011.
The façade of the Capuchin Church building was restored in 2016, removing the line dividing the colors and strengthening the colors.