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The Tombs of the Hohenstaufen: Between Monumental Burials and Oblivion

One of the places in Italy where time seems to have stood still is Palermo Cathedral. Amid the reflections of red porphyry rests Emperor Frederick II in a magnificent sarcophagus. His is not merely a tomb; it is an altar of memory. The fresh flowers that appear on his grave every day tell us that the bond with the Stupor Mundi has never been broken. Beside him, in the silence of the cathedral aisles, rest his parents, Henry VI and Constance of Hauteville, together with Frederick’s first wife, Constance of Aragon.

Yet even far from Palermo, several Hohenstaufen burial sites can still be visited today. In Andria, for example, in the crypt of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, lie two other wives of Frederick II, Yolande of Brienne and Isabella of England.

In Cosenza Cathedral, meanwhile, the remains of Henry, the Emperor’s eldest son, are preserved, while the Basilica of San Domenico in Bologna holds the body of Enzo, his beloved son.

Finally, in Naples, in the Basilica of Santa Maria del Carmine, rests the young Conradin of Swabia, the Emperor’s grandson, executed at the age of sixteen by Charles of Anjou.

Here, however, history falls silent. For the descendants of King Manfred, son and successor of Frederick II, the dignity of memory was erased and burial itself denied.

Manfred’s ashes? Scattered to the wind at Benevento. His wife, Helena of Epirus? A shadow, who died in captivity at Nocera, perhaps buried somewhere within the castle walls. And their sons Enzo, Henry and Frederick? Swallowed by Angevin fortresses, probably within the dungeons of Castel dell’Ovo in Naples.

Only Manfred’s daughters found peace: Beatrice of Sicily in Saluzzo and Constance of Aragon in Barcelona.

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Die Gräber der Staufer: Zwischen Glanz und Vergessen

In der Kathedrale von Palermo scheint die Zeit stillzustehen. Im roten Porphyr ruht Friedrich II. – sein Grab ein Altar der Erinnerung, an dem noch heute frische Blumen vom ungebrochenen Band zum Stupor Mundi zeugen. An seiner Seite ruhen seine Eltern und seine erste Gemahlin Konstanze.

Doch die Spuren der Staufer ziehen sich durch ganz Italien:

• In Andria fanden zwei weitere Ehefrauen Friedrichs, Jolanda und Isabella, ihre letzte Ruhe.

• In Cosenza und Bologna verbleiben die Reste seiner Söhne Heinrich und Enzio.

• In Neapel erinnert das Grab des jungen Konradin an sein tragisches Ende unter dem Beil Karls von Anjou.

Doch hier wandelt sich das Gedenken in Schweigen. Der Familie König Manfreds wurde die Würde des Grabes verweigert: Seine Asche verwehte im Wind von Benevent, seine Frau Helena starb vergessen in Gefangenschaft. Ihre Söhne wurden von den Verliesen der Anjou verschlungen, verloren im Dunkel der Geschichte. Nur Manfreds Töchter fanden in der Ferne, in Saluzzo und Barcelona, ihren Frieden.