The tomb of Archduchess Maria Christina

A masterpiece by Antonio Canova in Carrara marble

The tomb of Maria Christina (1742-1798) of the House of Hapsburg-Lorraine in the Augustinian Church in Vienna was built by Antonio Canova (1757-1822) between 1798 and 1805 and is regarded as the foremost example of classicist tomb art. It was commissioned by her widow, Prince Albert of Saxony, Duke of Teschen.

The monument is in the form of the wall pyramid and bears the inscription “uxori optimae albertus” (Albert, of the best spouse). The personification of virtue is walking into the portal of the pyramid, accompanied by two girls with torches for the dead. Virtue bears the urn containing the ashes of the deceased. Charity follows with a blind, old man on her arm. On the right we find an angel with a lion and the coat of arms of Saxony and Teschen. Felicity floats above the entrance with a relief portrait of the deceased.

The famous monument is a cenotaph, a mock tomb. As with many Hapsburgs, the corpse of Archduchess Maria Christina is interred in the Capuchin Crypt, while her heart can be found in the Hearts Crypt of the Augustinian cloister