Blessed Karl of Austria · Feast Day October 21

The Emperor
who sought peace

We sculpted the last Habsburg Emperor as he lived: crucifix held to his heart, the Holy Crown of Saint Stephen at his side. Each statue is finished by hand in our studio and crafted to last for generations, not decades.

Buy the Statue Read His Story

Hand-paintedor classic white

Numberedwith certificate

American madeCatholic owned

Beatified3 October 2004

Hand-painted in our Pennsylvania studio

Certificate of authenticity

Individually numbered at the base

Includes statue & plinth base

The Statue

Every detail tells part of his story

We worked his face from photographs taken during his life and followed period records for the uniform, sash, and decorations. What he holds tells you who he was: a soldier and a king, but first a servant of Christ the King.

Close-up of the statue's face and the crucifix held against the chest

I — THE CRUCIFIX

Christ held to the heart

Karl ruled as though his power were a duty owed to God. We placed the crucifix against his heart because it was the center of his reign, and of his life.

Detail of the Holy Crown of Saint Stephen held in the statue's hand, with its bent cross and jewelled panels

II — THE HOLY CROWN

Held, not worn

He was crowned King of Hungary with the Crown of Saint Stephen in 1916. We sculpted it in his hand, not on his head: a sacred trust he would not renounce, never a possession.

Detail of the hand-painted medals, red collar, and gold buttons on the uniform

III — THE UNIFORM

Faithful to the record

We modelled the gold-trimmed collar, crimson piping, and the decorations on his breast from period photographs, then painted every one by hand.

Hand-painted full-color finish — Hand-Painted

Classic white finish showing sculpted medals and crucifix — Classic White

Two Finishes

For the home altar, the parish, or the chapel

We paint the full-color edition by hand in imperial white and crimson. The classic white edition lets the sculpted detail speak on its own. Either way, this statue will inspire many wherever you decide to place it.

Sculpted by us from historical photographs and records
Every piece finished by hand in our Pennsylvania studio
Numbered at the base with a certificate of authenticity
Catholic owned and American made

Choose Your Finish

Ars Sacra pro Gloria Dei et Conservatione Hereditatis Nostrae

From Our Studio

Sacred art for the glory of God and the conservation of our heritage

At Sanctus, we bring the traditional craft of the old masters into our own time, so that the beauty of our Catholic tradition can inspire prayer in homes and churches today. Blessed Karl gave his life for the Social Kingship of Christ and for peace among his peoples. We sculpted him so that his witness would endure, and so that the families who welcome him home can hand it on.

His Life

Emperor, husband, father, peacemaker

Karl inherited a throne in the middle of the First World War and spent his short reign trying to end it. He lost his empire, his home, and finally his life in exile, without ever losing his faith.

The Church remembers him not on the day he died but on the day he married Zita, honoring the holiness of his family life as much as his rule.

Black-and-white photograph of Emperor Karl of Austria-Hungary in uniform with his decorations, 1917 — Emperor Karl of Austria-Hungary, 1917

1887

Born in Lower Austria

Born on 17 August at Persenbeug Castle, the Archduke Karl was raised in a devout Catholic household far from the line of succession.
1911

Marriage to Zita

On 21 October he married Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma, telling her, "Now we must help each other get to heaven." They would have eight children.
1916

Emperor and King

He succeeded Franz Joseph in November and was crowned King of Hungary with the Holy Crown of Saint Stephen that December.
1917

A secret bid for peace

Through his brother-in-law Prince Sixtus he made a secret approach to the Allies to end the war, and he backed Pope Benedict XV's peace efforts. Both failed.
1922

Death in exile

Refusing to abdicate a crown he saw as an oath before God, he was exiled to Madeira. He died there in poverty on 1 April, aged 34.
2004

Beatified

Pope Saint John Paul II beatified him on 3 October. His feast is kept on 21 October, the anniversary of his marriage.

“My whole effort is always, in all things, to know as clearly as possible and follow the will of God.”

Blessed Karl of Austria

Portrait view of the Blessed Karl statue

Bring Him Home

Crafted to last. Made to be prayed with.

We made this statue for the home altar, the parish, and the chapel: a place to ask Blessed Karl's intercession for your marriage, your family, and peace among nations, and a piece to hand down to your children's children. Each one is numbered, certified, and finished by hand.

Buy Now at CatholicStatues.com

Available hand-painted or in classic white. Includes statue and plinth base.