The New Vault

Karl Ludwig of Austria-Teschen

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In order to relieve the cramped crypt, create a climatically favorable space, and better preserve the coffins—the lack of space in the Toskana Vault had made it impossible to maintain the objects—construction of the New Vault began in 1960 beneath the monastery garden.
It covers an area of 280 m² and offers space for 26 coffins. The work was completed in 1962 and the New Vault was consecrated by Cardinal Franz König.

The architecture

In keeping with the functional style of the 1960s, the rough-hewn, poured concrete walls give the impression of an excavated grave. The undulating layers of coarse gravel with varying textures symbolize layers of earth. The folded concrete ceiling fulfills structural requirements while also lending the space a distinctive design.

The sarcophaguses

The sarcophagi in the New Vault date from three centuries due to the rearrangement in the Capuchin Crypt. The west side of the crypt was reserved for the ecclesiastical dignitaries of the House of Habsburg, while the east side was the final resting place for the parents and relatives of Emperor Franz Josephs. Maria Ludovika (N°127), , known as Marie Louise, Napoleon's second wife and mother of the Duke of Reichstadt, was given a prominent place. Her sarcophagus is located in the middle of the south wall, between the entrances to the Ferdinand Vault and the Franz Joseph Vault.

The wall plaque in the New Vault is dedicated to Archduke Franz Ferdinand uand his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg.

Overview of the New Vault

Architect: Dr. Karl Schwanzer

Sarcophagi:

• N°115 Leopold Wilhelm (1614-1662), son of Ferdinand II., bishop, Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Spanish Governor in the Netherlands
• N°116 Karl Joseph (1649-1664), Prince-Archbishop of Olomouc, heir to Leopold Wilhelm
• N°117 Karl Joseph of Lorraine (1680-1715), Prince of Lorraine, Prince-Archbishop of Trier
• N°118 Maximilian Franz (1756-1801), Prince-Archbishop of Cologne, son of Maria Theresa
• N°119 Rudolph Johann Rainer (1788-1831), Cardinal, Prince-Archbishop of Olomouc
• N°120 Wilhelm (1827-1894)
• N°121 Karl Ferdinand (1818-1874)
• N°122 Karl Ludwig of Austria-Teschen (1771-1847),  son of Emperor Leopold II., victor of Aspern
• N°123 Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg (1797-1829), wife of Archduke Charles, the only Protestant in the Imperial Crypt
• N°124 Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg, urn containing her heart and entrails
• N°125 Rudolph Franz (1822)
• N°126 Maximilian of Mexico (1832-1867), Emperor, brother of Emperor Franz
• N°127 Maria Ludovica („Marie Louise“) (1791-1847), Empress, daughter of Franz II.(I.), second wife of Napoleon
• N°128 Albrecht of Austria-Teschen (1817-1895), son of Karl Ludwig, victor of Custoza in 1866
• N°129 Hildegard Luise of Bavaria (1825-1864)
• N°130 Mathilde (1849-1867), daughter of Albrecht  (N°128)
• N°131 Karl Albert (1847-1848)
• N°132 Leopold Salvator (1863-1931)
• N°133 Rainer Karl (1895-1930)
• N°134 Margarethe Karoline of Saxony (1840-1858), first wife of Karl Ludwig
• N°135 Franz Karl (1802-1878), father of Emperor Franz Joseph I.
• N°136 Unnamed son (1840)
• N°137 Sophie of Bavaria(1805-1872), mother of Emperor Franz Joseph I.
• N°138 Karl Ludwig (1833-1896), father of Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne, who was assassinated in Sarajevo 
• N°139 Maria Annunziata beider Sizilien (1843-1871), second wife of Karl Ludwig, mother of Franz Ferdinand
• N°140 Otto Franz Joseph (1865-1906), father of the last Emperor, Charles I.
• N°141 Maria Josepha Luise von Sachsen (1867-1944), wife of Archduke Otto, mother of Emperor Charles I.