Capitol Crypt

This vaulted space beneath the Rotunda has long been called the Crypt because of its resemblance to similar areas in churches, which were often used for chapels and tombs.

Forty Aquia Creek sandstone columns in the Doric style support the floor above and were installed in the 1820s under architect Charles Bulfinch, who completed the construction of the Capitol in 1826.

The floor is original and is paved with stone from the quarry at Seneca, Maryland. The central white marble "compass stone" in the floor is a star that marks the center of the U.S. Capitol and is the point where the city is divided into quadrants (Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest).

Located in the Crypt are 13 statues from the National Statuary Hall Collection, representing the 13 original colonies, and the Magna Carta replica and display.

Directly beneath the Crypt is a space where Congress had hoped to place the remains of George and Martha Washington. However, their graves remained at Mount Vernon, and no one has been buried in the Capitol.