Imperial Crypt, Farnborough
The Imperial Crypt at St Michael's Abbey, Farnborough, is the burial place of the exiled Emperor Napoleon III of France and his wife, Eugénie de Montijo. It also contains the tomb of the couple's son, Napoléon Eugène, Prince Imperial (also known as Napoléon IV), who was the pretender to the imperial throne of France.
Napoléon III, following the fall of the Second French Empire in 1870, was exiled from France and took up residence in Chislehurst, England, where he died in 1873. He was originally buried at St Mary's Catholic Church, Chislehurst, but, following the death of the Prince Imperial in 1879, the grief-stricken Empress Eugénie set about building a monument to her family. Her wish was that the burial place should be a place of prayer and silence.[1] The crypt was modelled on the altar of St Louis in France, where the Emperor had originally desired to be buried.[1]
The abbey, which was founded by the Empress, remains an active Monastery, and is fully open to the public.
References
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