A moving monument in the Augustinian Church (Augustinerkirche) is the neoclassical cenotaph, dedicated to Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria. It was sculpted by renowned Italian artist Antonio Canova and is considered one of his finest works. (Note that her actual body is located in the Imperial Crypt (Kapuzinergruft) elsewhere in Vienna – this is a memorial only).
The work was commissioned by her grieving husband, Duke Albert (founder of the Albertina museum) after her death in 1798 at age 56. Canova completed the marble work in 1805 and it was installed in the church shortly thereafter. The monument features a pyramid (symbolizing eternity) with a procession of sorrowful figures entering a doorway into the pyramid, including a lion and an angel. The simple inscription over the door reads “VXORI OPTIMAE ALBERTVS” (“To the best of wives – Albert”).
As you enter the church from Josefsplatz, close to the Hofburg Palace, the cenotaph is obvious on the right, occupying a prominent part of the nave. it’s free to enter the church (though donations are appreciated), and the monument is well worth seeing.
