St. Stephansdom and St. Michaels church have their very own catacombs. I have not yet been to St. Stephansdom’s catacomb, but I can assure you that the catacomb in St. Michael’s church has a number of notable mummies! The guided tour of the crypt costs 7 euros for adults and start in front of the church. I am not sure when exactly the crypt was built (it only said the 16th and the 17th centuries). The guide leads you through the church to downstairs, and as you enter the crypt you feel the cold air coming from downstairs.

There are about 4000 bodies in the crypt but only hundreds of coffins. Obviously, nobility and those who can afford to have coffins made and have a family room reserved. The tour points out some of the notable families as well as a couple of famous people. Also the most famous person in the crypt is called Pietro Metastasio, who wrote some of the librettos for Mozart’s operas. Then, the tour leads to almost perfectly mummified bodies. Due to the catacomb’s unusual conditions, many bodies did not decompose but mummified with almost perfectly well preserved fingernails and their outfits and wigs. Looking at all those bones and mummies, I felt a bit gruesome and had chills from time to time, but the tour was definitely interesting. Besides the crypt, St. Michael’s church is also famous for the very first performance of Requiem after Mozart’s death. Overall, the guide was very informative not only about the crypt but also about history of the city, well particularly regarding burial sites.