St. Sebastian's Cemetery

St. Sebastian's Cemetery Review

Memorably re-created for the escape scene in The Sound of Music on a Hollywood soundstage, final resting place for many members of the Mozart family, and situated in the shadows of St. Sebastian's Church, the Friedhof St. Sebastian is one of the most peaceful spots in Salzburg. Prince-Archbishop Wolf-Dietrich commissioned the cemetery in 1600 to replace the old cathedral graveyard, which he planned to demolish. It was built in the style of an Italian campo santo, (sacred field) with arcades on four sides, and in the center of the square he had the Gabriel Chapel, an unusual, brightly tiled Mannerist mausoleum, built for himself, in which he was interred in 1617 (now closed to visitors). Several famous people are buried in this cemetery, including the medical doctor and philosopher Theophrastus Paracelsus, who settled in Salzburg in the early 16th century (his grave is by the church door). Around the chapel is the grave of Mozart's widow, Constanze, her second husband, Georg Nikolaus Nissen, and probably also the one of Genoveva Weber, the aunt of Constanze and the mother of Carl Maria von Weber (by the central path leading to the mausoleum). According to the latest research, Mozart's father Leopold came to rest in the unmarked community grave here, too. If the gate is closed, enter through the back entrance around the corner in the courtyard.