Margaret of Austria and the Tombs of Brou
A widow's monument to a husband she barely knew — the story behind Margaret of Austria and the three tombs at the heart of the Monastère royal de Brou.
The Monastère royal de Brou exists because of one woman's grief. This guide traces Margaret of Austria's life, her marriage to Philibert II of Savoy, and the three tombs that make the monastery's church one of the great works of Renaissance funerary sculpture in France.
Who was Margaret of Austria?
Margaret of Austria (1480–1530) was the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, married twice before her union with Philibert II of Savoy, and later became regent of the Habsburg Netherlands on behalf of her nephew, the future Emperor Charles V. She was a significant political figure of the early 16th century in her own right, and the monastery at Brou was commissioned during her years as Duchess of Savoy.
Her earlier marriages had both ended in tragedy — one husband died before the marriage could be consummated, another shortly after — making Philibert II her third and, by most accounts, her happiest match, though it too ended within a few years.
Why did Philibert II's death lead to the monastery?
Philibert II, Duke of Savoy, died in 1504 after a short illness, only a few years into his marriage to Margaret. In her grief, Margaret vowed to build a monastery and church grand enough to house his tomb, her own, and that of his mother, Margaret of Bourbon, fulfilling a vow her mother-in-law had reportedly made before her own death.
Construction ran from 1506 to 1532 — fast for the period — and Margaret took a close personal interest in the project throughout her life, corresponding with architects and craftsmen even while managing her regency duties in the Netherlands.
Who carved the tombs, and what do they show?
The German sculptor Conrad Meit carved all three tombs, working in marble and alabaster to a level of detail rare for funerary sculpture of the period. Philibert II's tomb shows him in ceremonial dress in white Carrara marble, with ten carved sibyls beneath. Margaret of Bourbon's tomb, in black marble, includes a greyhound carved at her feet, a common symbol of fidelity in period funerary art.
Margaret of Austria's own tomb, the largest and most elaborate of the three, pairs two effigies of her — an older figure in full state dress above, and a younger, idealised figure in alabaster below — a dual portrait that was unusual even by the standards of the period, and remains the tomb most visitors linger over longest.
Did Margaret live to see the monastery finished?
No. Margaret of Austria died in 1530, two years before the church was completed in 1532, though the monastery she commissioned had already taken clear shape under her direction by then.
Her tomb, planned and designed under her own instruction before her death, stands today exactly where she intended it — at the centre of the church she built for the husband she outlived by twenty-six years.
Frequently asked
Who was Margaret of Austria?
Margaret of Austria (1480–1530) was the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, Duchess of Savoy through her marriage to Philibert II, and later regent of the Habsburg Netherlands. She commissioned the Monastère royal de Brou as a monument to her husband.
Why was the monastery built?
Margaret of Austria vowed to build it after her husband, Philibert II, Duke of Savoy, died in 1504, to house his tomb, her own, and that of his mother, Margaret of Bourbon.
Who carved the tombs at Brou?
The German sculptor Conrad Meit carved all three tombs in marble and alabaster, working to a level of detail considered exceptional for Renaissance funerary sculpture.
Did Margaret of Austria see the finished monastery?
No — she died in 1530, two years before the church was completed in 1532, though the project had taken clear shape under her direction by the time of her death.
Why does Margaret of Austria's tomb have two effigies?
It pairs an older effigy in state dress with a younger, idealised alabaster figure below — an unusual double portrait of mourning and memory that makes it the largest and most elaborate of the church's three tombs.