Mausoleum Kaiser Ferdinands II.

Emperor Ferdinand II commissioned the mausoleum in 1614 during his lifetime from his court artist Giovanni Pietro de Pomis – as a monumental burial site for himself and his family. The building, with its distinctive turquoise dome, is considered the most significant structure of Mannerism in Austria and part of the Graz city crown. After de Pomis' death, Pietro Valnegro completed the façade and the dome; the magnificent stucco and fresco decoration inside is largely attributed to Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, who later became the most famous Baroque architect in Austria and created one of his first works here. In the crypt, alongside Ferdinand II, rests his mother Maria von Bayern. The Katharinenkirche and the mausoleum, together with the cathedral and the castle, form a unique historical ensemble on the eastern edge of the old town.