Category Archives: Royal Burial Sites

Brunswick Cathedral in Brunswick, Lower Saxony, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Brunswick Cathedral with the Brunswick Lion in the foreground; Credit – By Kassandro Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1770712

Originally a Roman Catholic church, Brunswick Cathedral (Braunschweiger Dom in German) is now a Lutheran church in Brunswick in the German state of Lower Saxony. The cathedral was founded in 1173 by Heinrich der Löwe (Henry the Lion – Heinrich III, Duke of Saxony from 1142  to 1180 and also Heinrich XII, Duke of Bavaria from 1156 to 1180). Heinrich built the cathedral as a burial place for himself and his second wife Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony and Bavaria, the eldest daughter of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine, and their successors.

Dankwarderode Castle on the left, Brunswick Cathedral on the right; Credit – Wikipedia

Brunswick Cathedral was built between 1173 and 1195 on the Burgplatz (Castle Square) in Brunswick, adjacent to Dankwarderode Castle where Heinrich the Lion built his palace circa 1160 – 1175. There was direct access from the upper floor of Dankwarderode Castle to the north transept of Brunswick Cathedral. When Brunswick Cathedral was officially consecrated in 1226, it was dedicated to Saint Thomas Becket, Saint Blaise, and Saint John the Baptist. Matilda was a strong supporter of the 1173 canonization as a saint of Thomas Becket who had been murdered in Canterbury Cathedral by four of her father’s knights in 1170. See Unofficial Royalty: Canterbury Cathedral for more information.

The central nave with the tomb of Heinrich the Lion and Matilda of England in the foreground; Credit – Di Photo by PtrQs, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81519784

A 1900 painting of Brunswick Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

Brunswick Cathedral was built initially built as a three-aisled Romanesque pillar basilica. The cathedral was expanded and rebuilt several times, but the nave, transept, and choir are largely preserved from the 12th-century original building.

Tomb of Matilda and Heinrich with a memorial plaque for their son Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Von Brunswyk – DE:Wiki, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4217450

On June 28, 1189, Matilda died at Brunswick at the age of 33, about a week before her father King Henry II of England died. She was buried at the still incomplete Brunswick Cathedral. Heinrich, died on August 6, 1195, aged 65 – 66, in Brunswick, and was buried next to Matilda. Their tomb is the oldest double grave of a married couple in Germany. Their effigies are still the originals, made in the first half of the thirteenth century.

Crypt of Heinrich the Lion, Sarcophagus of Heinrich (left) and Matilda (right); Credit – Von Brunswyk, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18904214

Brunswick Cathedral and the Nazis

During the Nazi regime, the Nazis used Heinrich the Lion and Brunswick Cathedral for ideological and propaganda purposes. In 1147, Heinrich the Lion’s Wendish Crusade against Polabian Slavs, also known as Wends, who lived northeast of Brunswick, resulted in their subjugation and the colonization of their territory. The Nazis tried to make Henry the Lion appear as the pioneer of their ideology. Between 1935 and 1940, the cathedral’s 19th-century interior furnishings were completely removed and the building was partially structurally and aesthetically altered to reflect Nazi ideology. The tombs of Heinrich the Lion and his wife Matilda were opened, supposedly for archaeological work, but the work lacked any scientific basis. The opening of the tombs was used as propaganda to bring attention to Heinrich the Lion and what the Nazis wanted him to represent. All this was done under the supervision of Dietrich Klagges, Prime Minister of the Free State of Brunswick from 1933 to 1945.

Adolf Hitler secretly visited Brunswick Cathedral on July 17, 1935 to observe the work. The visit did not go as Klagges intended. After the tour, Hitler declared that from now on he would be the only one to decide on the type and extent of the construction work for the conversion of the Brunswick Cathedral into a Nazi shrine. All work orders given by Klagges were canceled. To Hitler’s great annoyance, news of his secret visit quickly spread among the local people. Hitler left Brunswick after just a few hours and never returned. After World War II ended, the structural and design changes the Nazis had made to Brunswick Cathedral were largely reversed where possible, and the cathedral was able to serve as a Lutheran place of worship again.

Burials at Brunswick Cathedral

The crypt at Brunswick Cathedral; Credit – By TeWeBs – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=147494393

Perhaps the two most famous burials at Brunswick Cathedral besides Heinrich the Lion and Matilda of England, are their son Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor (1175 -1218) and Caroline of Brunswick, Queen of the United Kingdom (1768 – 1821), the wife of King George IV of the United Kingdom.

Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor

The seal of Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

Otto was the third son of Heinrich the Lion, Duke of Bavaria, Duke of Saxony and Matilda of England. Otto’s maternal grandparents were King Henry II of England and Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right. Otto’s maternal uncles were King Richard I of England (the Lionheart) and King John of England. Otto spent most of his early life in England and France. He was a supporter of his uncle Richard, who created Otto Count of Poitou in 1196. With Richard’s support, he was elected King of the Romans in 1198, a step toward being Holy Roman Emperor. In 1209, Otto went to Rome to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Innocent III.

In 1210, Otto attempted to add the Kingdom of Sicily to the Holy Roman Empire, against the wishes of Pope Innocent III, who excommunicated him. Otto allied with his uncle King John of England, Count Ferrand of Flanders, Count Renaud of Boulogne, Duke Henri I of Brabant, Count William I of Holland, Duke Theobald I of Lorraine, and Duke Henry III of Limburg in an alliance against France during the Anglo-French War of 1213–1214. The coalition was soundly defeated at the Battle of Bouvines in 1214 when Otto was carried off the battlefield by his wounded and terrified horse, causing his forces to abandon the battlefield. The defeat forced Otto to withdraw to his home in Brunswick, allowing Ferderico, King of Sicily to take the German cities of Aachen and Cologne, depose Otto, and become Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich II. Otto died on May 19, 1218, aged 42–43, at Harzburg Castle, now in Bad Harzburg in the German state of Lower Saxony. There is a memorial plaque to Otto on the floor near the tombs of his parents which can be seen in a photo above.

Caroline of Brunswick, Queen of the United Kingdom

Caroline of Brunswick, Queen of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline of Brunswick was the daughter of Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Augusta of Great Britain, the elder sister of King George III of the United Kingdom. In 1795, Caroline of Brunswick married her first cousin, the future King George IV of the United Kingdom. The marriage of Caroline and George is one of the worst-ever royal marriages. Upon first seeing Caroline, George said to his valet, “Harris, I am not well; pray get me a glass of brandy.” Caroline said George was fat and not as handsome as his portrait. It is doubtful that the couple spent more than a few nights together as husband and wife. Their only child Princess Charlotte of Wales was born nine months later. Caroline and George found each other equally unattractive and never lived together or appeared in public together. Caroline was ignored at the court and lived more or less under house arrest. After two and a half years, she left the court and lived for ten years in a Montagu House in Blackheath, London. Caroline was denied any part in raising her daughter Charlotte and only saw her occasionally. Sadly, Charlotte predeceased both her parents, dying in childbirth in 1817 at the age of 21, along with her son. Had Charlotte lived, she would have succeeded her father on the throne.

When King George III died in January 1820, Caroline was determined to return to England and assert her rights as queen. King George IV was determined to be rid of Caroline and his government introduced a bill in Parliament, the Pains and Penalties Bill 1820, to strip Caroline of the title of queen consort and dissolve her marriage. The reading of the bill in Parliament was effectively a trial of Caroline. On November 10, 1820, a final reading of the bill took place, and the bill passed by 108–99. Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool then declared that since the vote was so close and public tensions so high, the government would withdraw the bill.

King George IV’s coronation was set for July 19, 1821, but no plans had been made for Caroline to participate. On the day of the coronation, Caroline went to Westminster Abbey, was barred at every entrance, and finally left. Three weeks later on August 7, 1821, Caroline died at the age of 53, most likely from a bowel obstruction or cancer. Before her death, Caroline requested that she be buried in her native Brunswick. Caroline was interred at Brunswick Cathedral next to her father. Her casket bears the inscription, “Here lies Caroline, the Injured Queen of England.”

Tomb of Queen Caroline in the crypt at Brunswick Cathedral: Credit – www.findagrave.com

This does not purport to be a complete list of the burials at Brunswick Cathedral.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Autoren der Wikimedia-Projekte. (2005). Kirchengebäude in Braunschweig, Niedersachsen. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braunschweiger_Dom
  • Der Braunschweiger Dom: Domkirche. (2024). Braunschweigerdom.de. https://www.braunschweigerdom.de/ueberdom
  • Dom Saint Blasius in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony – Find a Grave Cemetery. (2021). Findagrave.com. https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2098911/dom-saint-blasius
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2017). Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony and Bavaria. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/matilda-of-england-duchess-of-saxony/
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Brunswick Cathedral. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Henry the Lion. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Akershus Fortress in Oslo, Norway

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Akershus Fortress; Credit – By Ghirlandajo – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42021733

Note: Denmark, Sweden, and Norway were ruled together under one monarch (Kalmar Union) from 1397 until 1523 when Sweden seceded and became its own kingdom. From 1450 to 1814, Denmark and Norway were in a union of the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway. From 1814 – 1905, Norway and Sweden were in a personal union of separate kingdoms under a common monarch. In 1905, Norway withdrew from the union and became its own kingdom.

History of the Akershus Fortress

The Castle at Akershus Fortress; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Akershus Fortress, which this writer has visited, was built as a royal residence and a fortress to protect the city of Oslo. Although it is no longer a royal residence, the Royal Mausoleum at the Akershus Fortress is the burial place of several Norwegian royals, including the two most recent deceased monarchs and their spouses. Akershus Fortress is still a military fortress under a commander. The Norwegian Ministry of Defence has its headquarters at the fortress. After the terrorist attacks on July 22, 2011, the Prime Minister’s Office has been located in the Armed Forces Command Building at Akershus Fortress. His Majesty The King’s Guard has permanent sentry duty at Akershus Fortress and is responsible for guarding the fortress.

The name Akerhus comes from the Old Norse ákr, which means field, and hus, which means house. Aker was originally the name of the farm on the isthmus where the fortress was built. Akershus Fortress’ construction began around the late 1290s by King Haakon V of Norway. After Norwegian nobleman Earl Alv Erlingsson of Sarpsborg attacked Oslo in 1287, it became clear that a stronger defense of the city was needed.

Akershus Fortress in the Middle Ages; Credit – Wikipedia

Akershus Fortress has successfully survived all sieges, mostly by Swedish forces, including King Karl XII of Sweden who invaded Norway in 1716 with a force of 7,000. He occupied the capital of Christiania, as Oslo was then known, and laid siege to the Akershus Fortress. However, King Karl XII did not have enough siege cannons to defeat the Norwegian forces inside the fortress. He was forced to retreat after a significant loss of soldiers and weapons.

Although Akershus Fortress has never been successfully besieged, it surrendered without combat to Nazi Germany in 1940 when the Norwegian government evacuated Oslo after unprovoked German attacks on Denmark and Norway. During the Nazi occupation, people were executed at the fortress by the Germans. After the fortress was liberated in 1945, eight Norwegian traitors who were tried and convicted of war crimes were executed at the fortress including Vidkun Quisling and Siegfried Fehmer.

King Haakon V of Norway (reigned 1299 – 1319) and his wife Euphemia of Rügen began to use Akershus Fortress as a royal residence which played a significant role in moving the capital of the Kingdom of Norway from Bergen to Oslo in 1300. Others who lived at Akershus Fortress during the Middle Ages include Princess Ingeborg, daughter of King Eric II of Norway, and Margrethe of Denmark, the future Queen Margrethe I of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. After her marriage in 1363 to eighteen-year-old King Haakon VI of Norway, ten-year-old Margrethe of Denmark, lived primarily at Akershus Fortress in Oslo. Margrethe was too young for the marriage to be consummated. Her governess was Swedish noblewoman Merete Ulvsdatter, a daughter of Saint Birgitta of Sweden. Margrethe was raised with Merte Ulvsdatter’s daughters Ingegerd and Katrine, who became her closest friends. She spent her time getting acclimated to Norway and preparing for her duties as Queen Consort. Her only child Olaf II, King of Denmark/Olaf IV, King of Norway was born at Akershus Fortress.

On August 17, 1624, a fire began in Oslo, lasting for three days and destroying almost the entire city. Following the 1624 fire, King Christian IV of Denmark and Norway decided to rebuild the city with better protection against fire and relocate it closer to Akershus Fortress. King Christian IV came to Oslo to oversee his plan. On September 27, 1624, Christian IV’s new city was officially founded and named Christiania in his honor. In 1925, the city returned to its former name, Oslo.

During the city’s reconstruction, Akershus Fortress was modernized and remodeled, giving it the appearance of a Renaissance castle with bastioned ramparts. Until the beginning of the 19th century, Akershus Fortress was used as a royal palace with new towers, halls, chambers, and gates added over the years.

Because Norway was in unions with Denmark and/or Sweden over the years, the kings moved around to their kingdoms. When the king was absent from Norway, Akershus Fortress was the seat of the Steward of Norway who acted as the head of the government during the monarch’s absence.

The ongoing restoration work on Akershus Fortress was extensive and lasted from the turn of the century until 1960. In the early years, the restoration concentrated on repairing basic damage to walls, basements, floors, and roof structures. In 1929, Norwegian architect Arnstein Rynning Arneberg began serving as the executive restoration architect in collaboration with other architects. Major renovations and maintenance work continued until completion in 1960, only interrupted by World War II in 1940 – 1945. Since the restoration, Akershus Fortress has been used frequently as the venue for official events and dinners for dignitaries and foreign heads of state.

The Royal Mausoleum

The Royal Mausoleum at Akershus Fortress; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

With a few exceptions, burial sites and/or remains of Norwegian monarchs before 1380 have disappeared. Nearly all Norwegian monarchs between 1380 and 1905 are buried in other countries. During this period, Norwegian monarchs were also monarchs of Denmark and/or Sweden and were buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark; Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden; St. Peter’s Cathedral in Schleswig, Germany; and St. Mary’s Church now in Darłowo, Poland.

Within the walls of the Akershus Fortress is the Royal Mausoleum, a small burial chapel designed by Norwegian architect Arnstein Rynning Arneberg and completed in 1948. An altar designed by Norwegian artist Henrik Sørensen is in a niche. Before I visited Akershus Fortress, I could tell from photographs that the Royal Mausoleum was small, but when I visited, I was surprised at just how small it was. One could have walked right past it and not even noticed it.

White tomb of King Haakon VII and Queen Maud on the left and green tomb of their son King Olav V and his wife Princess Märtha of Sweden, Crown Princess of Norway on the right; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

In the mausoleum behind a gate are two sarcophagi. King Haakon VII of Norway (1872 – 1957) and his wife Queen Maud of Norway (1869 – 1938) are interred in the white sarcophagus and their son King Olav V of Norway (1903 – 1991) and his wife Crown Princess Märtha of Norway, Princess Märtha of Sweden (1901 – 1954), who died before her husband became king, are interred in the green sarcophagus. Arnstein Rynning Arneberg designed both sarcophagi.

The grave marker of King Sigurd I of Norway; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The remains of King Sigurd I of Norway (circa 1090 – 1130), originally buried at the Old Cathedral in Oslo, King Haakon V of Norway (1270 – 1319), the original builder of Akershus Fortress, and his second wife Queen Euphemia (circa 1280 – 1312), both originally buried at St. Mary’s Church in Oslo, were transferred from their original burial places to the Royal Mausoleum where they are interred in crypts in the wall outside the Royal Mausoleum.

The grave marker of King Haakon V of Norway and his second wife Queen Euphemia; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Other Areas of Akershus Fortress

Akershus Fortress is an impressive structure, inside and outside. Here are some photographs of the interior.

The Castle Church; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Olav V Hall: Probably the location of the Great Hall of the medieval castle; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Margrethe Hall: Named for Margrethe I, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden – In the Middle Ages, it was the primary living room for the court. Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The Prince’s Chamber was originally part of the royal apartments;  Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Romerike Hall: Named for the Romerike peasants who repaired this wing after a fire in 1527. In the 17th century, the Steward of Norway had offices here. Today the Romerike Hall is used for official banquets. Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Akershus Fortress. (2023). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akershus_Fortress
  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2006). Akershus slot. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akershus_slot
  • Bidragsytere til Wikimedia-prosjektene. (2004). bygningskompleks i Oslo. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akershus_slott_og_festning
  • Discover Kvadraturen | Discover the Square. (2024). Discover Kvadraturen. https://www.oppdagkvadraturen.no/en/
  • Visitor Guide Akershus Castle. (2022). Digitaltmuseum.no. https://digitaltmuseum.no/0211811930788/visitor-guide-akershus-castle

Royal Burial Ground in Haga Park in Solna, Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

The bridge and gate to the Royal Burial Ground in Haga Park; Credit – Wikipedia

The Royal Burial Ground (in Swedish Kungliga Begravningsplatsen) in Haga Park in Solna, Sweden, is located just north of Stockholm on the island of Karlsborg in the Bay of Brunnsviken. The Royal Burial Ground was established in 1922 and now covers the whole island.

Karlsborg Island where the Royal Cemetery is located; Credit – Wikipedia

Born Princess Margaret of Connaught, the daughter of Queen Victoria’s son Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, Crown Princess Margeret of Sweden, the first wife of the future King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden (reigned 1950 – 1973), came up with the idea to build a cemetery on the island. Margaret loved gardens and the outdoors and expressed her desire not to be buried inside a church. Riddarholmen Church, the traditional site for royal ceremonies, funerals, and burials, no longer had space for new burials. Margaret and Gustaf Adolf picked a site for the future burial site of the Swedish royal family near Haga Palace whose park was located on the Bay of Brunnsviken. The tip of a small cape was excavated to form Karlsborg Island where the new Royal Cemetery in Haga Park would be located. The entrance to the cemetery is accessible by a small bridge from the mainland part of Haga Park. Swedish architect Ferdinand Boberg designed the bridge to the island and the cemetery.

Crown Prince Margaret of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Ironically, Crown Princess Margaret was the first member of the Swedish royal family to be buried at the Royal Burial Ground. Margaret was eight months pregnant with her sixth child in 1920 when she underwent mastoid surgery. An infection set in, killing Margaret, at the age of 38, and her unborn child on May 1, 1920, her father’s 70th birthday. Her family along with the Swedish and British public mourned her death greatly.

Grave of Crown Princess Margaret, her husband King Gustaf VI Adolf, and his second wife Queen Louise; Credit – Wikipedia

Until the Royal Burial Ground was completed, Crown Princess Margaret was temporarily interred at the Storkyrkan (The Great Church) next to the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden. In 1922, Margaret’s remains were transferred to a burial site in the Royal Burial Ground that Margaret and her husband had chosen for themselves. Since 1922, with a few exceptions, all male members of the House of Bernadotte and their wives have been buried at the Royal Burial Ground. (See Wikipedia: Family buried elsewhere since 1922.) Recently deceased Princess Birgitta, sister of current King Carl XVI Gustaf and daughter of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, who would have been King of Sweden if he had not died in a plane crash, is expected to be buried at the Royal Burial Ground in keeping with her wishes.

The grave of Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sibylla, parents of Carl XVI Gustaf, the current King of Sweden; Credit – By Holger.Ellgaard, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2431747

Burials at the Royal Burial Ground in Haga Park in Solna, Sweden:

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Bidragsgivare till Wikimedia-projekten. (2005). Kyrkogård för svenska kungliga familjen. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kungliga_begravningsplatsen#Andra_kungliga_gravplatser
  • The Royal Cemetery. (2023). Kungligaslotten.se. https://www.kungligaslotten.se/english/royal-palaces-and-sites/royal-national-city-park/the-royal-cemetery.html
  • ‌Wikipedia Contributors. (2023). Kungliga begravningsplatsen. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation

Some Spooky and Some Not So Spooky Royal Burial Sites for Halloween or Anytime

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

One of my favorite vacation pastimes is to pay a call on dead royals. I highly recommend it for learning and making history come alive. I am fortunate to have visited the royal burial sites of the current monarchies of Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom including England and Scotland. In addition, I have visited the royal burial sites of the former monarchies of Austria and the Holy Roman Empire, Bavaria, France, and Russia.

Unofficial Royalty: Royal Funerals & Burial Sites has links to articles about burial sites of current and past monarchies. All information below is taken from articles at Unofficial Royalty.

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My Creepiest Experience – Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan (Theatine Church of St. Cajetan) in Munich, Germany

A view of the dark and creepy (if you are alone!) crypt at the Theatinerkirche; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The traditional burial site for the Electors of Bavaria was the Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan (Theatine Church of St Cajetan) in Munich, Germany which contains the tombs of most of the Electors of Bavaria and their wives, as well as several members of the subsequent Bavarian Royal Family. Besides the Theatine Church, rulers of the House of Wittelsbach have been interred at the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Munich, Michaelskirche (St. Michael’s Church) in Munich, and the Andechs Abbey in Andechs.

When I visited the Theatinekirche, my husband did not want to pay the two euros for admission to the crypt, so I went into the crypt alone – just me and 47 coffins of members of the House of Wittelsbach – no one else was there. Being alone was a fairly creepy experience. I looked around, took photos, and exited quickly! Still haunting.

Coffins in the crypt of the Theatinekirche; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

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My Most Amazing Royal Burials Experience – Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul in St. Petersburg, Russia

Sarcophagi in the Peter and Paul Cathedral; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Visiting the burial site of the Romanovs at the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul in St. Petersburg, Russia was something I never thought I would do. On a trip to Denmark and Sweden, my husband and I took a cruise from Stockholm, Sweden with ports of call at Helsinki, Finland and St. Petersburg, Russia. The ship was docked in St. Petersburg for two days. On each day, an eight-hour excursion that visited places related to the Romanovs was offered. Of course, we went on both excursions. Besides visiting the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, we visited the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg and Tsarkoe Selo, the town 15 miles/24 kilometers south of St. Petersburg, where the Alexander Palace and the Catherine Palace are located.

Our tour guide with the pulpit and lots of people in the background; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

On an island in the Neva River that flows through St. Petersburg, Russia is the Peter and Paul Fortress, the original citadel of the city established by Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia in 1703. Inside the fortress is a Russian Orthodox cathedral, the Peter and Paul Cathedral, built under Peter I (the Great). The cathedral is the burial place of almost all the Russian emperors and empresses from Peter the Great to Nicholas II and his family, who were finally laid to rest in July 1998. Of the Russian emperors and empresses after Peter the Great, only Peter II and Ivan VI are not buried at the Peter and Paul Cathedral. The place was packed with tourists, local and foreign, feeling the aura and maybe thinking how that government compares with the present one.

Tombs of Emperors and Empresses – Row 1 left to right: Elizabeth I, Catherine I, Peter I (the Great); Row 2 left to right: Tombs of Catherine II (the Great), Peter III, Anna I; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

On July 17, 1998, on the 80th anniversary of their murders, the remains of Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra Feodorovna, and three of their five children Olga, Tatiana, and Anastasia along with the remains of physician Yevgeny Sergeyevich Botkin, maid Anna Demidova, cook Ivan Khartinov, and footman Alexei Trupp were buried in the Chapel of St. Catherine in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. The remains of the last two children of Nicholas II – Maria and Alexei – were found in 2007 and positively identified the following year. After the remains were in the state archives for eight years, a burial was scheduled for October 18, 2015. However, the burial has been delayed mainly due to the insistence of the Russian Orthodox Church on more DNA testing.

St. Catherine’s Chapel at the Peter and Paul Cathedral; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Nicholas II, his family, and their servants are buried in a small chapel which visitors cannot enter. To view the chapel, one must wait their turn, and stand in the narrow doorway. To take the photo above, I took up as much space as possible in the doorway so no one would be in my way.

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Plain on the Outside, Lots of Sarcophagi on the Inside – Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria

Capuchin Church in Vienna (Cloister on left, Church in middle, Imperial Crypt on right); Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The Habsburgs, including Holy Roman Emperors, Emperors of Austria from 1804 – 1918, their wives, and some children are buried at the Capuchin Church in Vienna where there is still a cloister of Capuchin monks who take care of the church. Unlike other burial sites I have visited, the Capuchin Church is small and on a street with traffic, shops, stores, restaurants, and cafes. One cafe is directly across from it. Walking past the church, one would never think the burial place of emperors was there. After paying an admission fee, visitors descend the stairs marked by a sign that said “Zur Kaisergruft” to the series of crypts containing the remains of the Habsburgs.

Tomb of Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, second wife of Emperor Franz I of Austria and the mother of his children. Maria Theresa died giving birth to her twelfth child who also died; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

As of 2024, there are 145 Habsburgs interred here, plus urns containing hearts and cremated remains. 107 metal sarcophagi are visible and they range in style from plain to fancy. All sarcophagi are labeled in German with the person’s identity and their relationship to a Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of Austria, or Archduke.

Tomb of Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

I think this is my second creepiest royal burial site. There are sarcophagi everywhere and some have creepy skulls. Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI’s sarcophagus has a death’s head at each corner wearing one of the crowns of his major realms, the Holy Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Kingdom of Hungary, and the Archduchy of Austria.

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A Destroyed Burial Site – Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland

The ruins of Holyrood Abbey; Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The abbey church of Holyrood Abbey, founded by David I, King of Scots in 1128, now stands in roofless ruins adjacent to Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, Scotland. In 1559, during the Scottish Reformation, the abbey church suffered much damage when a Protestant mob destroyed the altars and looted the rest of the church. In 1569, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland decided to demolish the east end of the abbey church because of the damage. Only the nave was retained, all but two of the windows in the nave were blocked up, and the royal tombs were removed to a new royal burial vault in the south aisle.

Royal Vault in the ruins of Holyrood Abbey; Credit – © Susan Flantzer

In 1688, the abbey church was ransacked by a mob, furious with the Roman Catholic allegiance of James VII, King of Scots (also James II, King of England). There was some restoration work done on the abbey church in 1758 – 1760 including the rebuilding of the roof but during a storm in 1768 the roof collapsed, leaving the abbey in its current ruins.

The ruins of the abbey church of Holyrood Abbey; Credit – By Brian Holsclaw from Seattle, WA, USA – 20090513_Edinburgh_034Uploaded by Kurpfalzbilder.de, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9562367

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Destruction and Restoration – Basilica of Saint-Denis in Saint-Denis, France

Some of the effigies rescued and preserved by archaeologist Alexandre Lenoir (see below); Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The Basilica of Saint-Denis is a Roman Catholic church in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, France. The current Gothic cathedral was built in the 12th century. The Kings of France and their families were buried for centuries at the Basilica of Saint-Denis. The remains of all but three monarchs of France from the 10th century until 1789 are interred at the Basilica of Saint-Denis.

Violation of the royal tombs of Saint-Denis by Hubert Robert (Musée Carnavalet, Paris); Credit – https://uk.tourisme93.com/basilica/desecration-of-the-royal-tombs.html

During the French Revolution, the remains of French royals were desecrated and some tombs and effigies were destroyed. By the decree on August 1, 1793, the National Convention ordered: “The tombs and mausoleums of the former kings, mounted in the Church of Saint-Denis, in temples and in other places, across the entire Republic, will be destroyed.” This occurred systematically from August 1793 – October 1793. The remains of 46 kings, 32 queens, and 63 other royals were thrown into two large pits in the monks’ cemetery adjacent to the Basilica of Saint-Denis and covered in quicklime and soil. A combination of seventy effigies and tombs were saved because of the efforts of archaeologist Alexandre Lenoir who claimed them as artworks for his Museum of French Monuments.

Crypt where Louis VII, Louis de Lorraine, Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette, and Louis XVIII are buried at Saint-Denis; Credit – By Fbrandao.1963 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64407677

Napoleon I, Emperor of the French reopened the Basilica of Saint-Denis in 1806 but left the royal remains in their mass graves. One of the first things King Louis XVIII, a younger brother of the guillotined King Louis XVI, did after the Bourbon Restoration in 1814 was to order a search for the remains of his brother and sister-in-law, King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. They were originally buried in the cemetery at the Madeleine Church and covered with quicklime. The few remains that were found were reburied at the Basilica of Saint-Denis on January 21, 1815, the twenty-second anniversary of King Louis XVI’s execution.

Door leading to the crypt where the desecrated royal remains were re-interred. The large plaques on either side of the door are engraved with the names of those who were re-interred; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

In 1817, King Louis XVIII ordered the mass graves adjacent to the Basilica of Saint-Denis to be opened but due to the damage from the quicklime, identification of the remains was impossible. The remains were collected into an ossuary, a site serving as the final resting place of human skeletal remains, in the basilica’s crypt. Large marble plates on either side of the gated door leading to the crypt are engraved with the names of those whose remains are buried in the crypt. The seventy effigies and tombs that Alexandre Lenoir saved were returned to the Basilica of Saint-Denis and are now mostly in their original places.

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The Tell-Tale Story of the Heart of Louis-Charles, Dauphin of France

A depiction of Louis-Charles in the Temple; Credit – Wikipedia

Louis-Charles of France, Dauphin of France, born in 1785, was the only surviving son of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette, who were guillotined during the French Revolution. Louis-Charles and his family were imprisoned at the Temple, the remains of a medieval fortress in Paris. He was only eight-years old when his parents were beheaded in 1793. The terrible conditions of Louis-Charles’ imprisonment led to the rapid deterioration of his health. Ill with tuberculosis, Louis-Charles died on June 8, 1795, at the age of ten. He was buried in an unmarked grave at the Cimetière Sainte-Marguerite in Paris.

Louis-Charles’ heart in the crystal urn; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

After Louis-Charles’ death, an autopsy was held. Following the tradition of preserving royal hearts, Louis-Charles’ heart was removed and smuggled out during the autopsy by Dr. Philippe-Jean Pelletan, a royalist, who preserved the heart in alcohol. After the Bourbon Restoration in 1815, Dr. Pellatan offered the heart to Louis-Charles’ paternal uncle King Louis XVIII but he refused it because he could not bring himself to believe that it was his nephew’s heart. Following the July Revolution in 1830, Dr. Pelletan’s son found the heart in the remnants of a looted palace and placed it in the crystal urn where it still resides. After the death of Dr. Pelletan’s son in 1879, Eduard Dumont, a relative of Dr. Pelletan’s wife, took possession of the heart.

In 1895, Carlos, Duke of Madrid, the Legitimist claimant to the French throne under the name Charles XI, accepted the heart from Eduard Dumont. The heart was kept at Schloss Frohsdorf near Vienna, Austria. Upon the death of his father Carlos, Duke of Madrid in 1909, Jaime, Duke of Madrid, the next Legitimist claimant to the French throne, inherited the heart and gave it to his sister Beatriz.

During World War II, Schloss Frohsdorf suffered damage. The heart was rescued by descendants of Carlos, Duke of Madrid, and ultimately came into the possession of his granddaughter Princess Marie des Neiges Massimo. In 1975, the princess offered the heart to the Memorial of Saint-Denis in Paris, the organization that oversees the royal graves at the Basilica of St. Denis. The heart was placed in an underground chapel at the basilica where the remains of French royals that were desecrated during the French Revolution were subsequently interred.

In 2004, mitochondrial DNA testing proved the heart belonged to Louis-Charles. Comparison samples were taken from descendants of Marie Antoinette’s sisters, members of the Bourbon-Parma family including Queen Anne of Romania who was born a Princess of Bourbon-Parma, and a strand of Marie-Antoinette’s hair. With the approval of the French government, the Legitimists organized a ceremony at the Basilica of St. Denis on June 8, 2004, the 209th anniversary of Louis-Charles’ death. His heart was placed in a niche near the graves of his parents Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette whose remains were transferred to the basilica in 1815.

The resting place of Louis-Charles’ heart in the Basilica of St. Denis; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

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“I feel like everywhere I walk, I’m walking over dead people.” – Westminster Abbey in London, England

Monuments in the Chapel of St. Edmund, Westminster Abbey; Credit – Wikipedia

Note: I have no photos of Westminster Abbey because photographs are not allowed.

Not exactly Haley Joel Osment’s “I see dead people” from The Sixth Sense, but the comment above was said by my 13-year-old son during a 1990 visit to Westminster Abbey. Yes, there are a lot of dead people there. One of the United Kingdom’s most significant honors is to be buried or commemorated in Westminster Abbey. Musicians, poets, generals, admirals, politicians, doctors, scientists, and more were given the honor over the years. There have been over 3,300 burials and there are over 600 monuments, wall tablets, and markers on the floor. People have been interred in crypts under the floor, in the walls, in side chapels, and in tombs.

Grave marker in the floor of Westminster Abbey of Stephen Hawking; Credit – By JRennocks – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=128242974

One of the renowned people accorded a burial at Westminster Abbey was the theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author Stephen Hawking. On June 15, 2018, his ashes were interred in Westminster Abbey’s nave, alongside the graves of Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.

King Henry III’s tomb in the Chapel of St. Edward the Confessor; Credit – Westminster Abbey Facebook page

Thirty kings and queens are buried at Westminster Abbey, starting with King Edward the Confessor whose magnificent shrine stands just behind the High Altar. Five kings and four queens lie buried in his Chapel.

The Chapel of St. Edward the Confessor with his shrine; Credit – By amanderson2 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/49399018@N00/52640667304/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=128111063

October 13 is the feast day of St. Edward the Confessor, the day his body was interred in Westminster Abbey in 1163. Every year, from October 13 – 18, St. Edward the Confessor is remembered and celebrated. A national pilgrimage to his shrine is held, attracting people from across the United Kingdom and the world. I have visited Westminster Abbey several times and one of those times was during the national pilgrimage. The Chapel of Edward the Confessor is usually not open but it is open during the national pilgrimage and it was awe-inspiring to see Edward the Confessor’s shrine surrounded by the tombs of kings and queens.

Effigy of Mary, Queen of Scots; Credit – By Kim Traynor – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15875544

Mary, Queen of Scots, who was beheaded in 1587 during the reign of her first cousin once removed Queen Elizabeth I of England, was originally buried at Peterborough Cathedral. In 1612, Mary’s remains were exhumed upon the orders of her son King James I of England and ironically were reburied in a chapel directly across the aisle from the chapel containing the tomb of Queen Elizabeth I.

Effigy of Queen Elizabeth I of England; Credit – www.findagrave.com

By the time King George II died in 1760, the royal burial vaults at Westminster Abbey were quite crowded. His successor, his grandson King George III, decided to build a new royal vault at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Since the reign of King George III, royal burials, with a few exceptions, have been at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle or the Royal Burial Ground and Mausoleums at Frogmore, near Windsor Castle. The last monarch buried in Westminster Abbey was King George II in 1760. The last royal burial in Westminster Abbey was that of Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland, son of Frederick, Prince of Wales and brother of King George III, in 1790.

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