Pope Francis, who died aged 88, will be buried in a simple tomb in Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore buckling tradition for centuries to honor his commitment to simplicity and humility.
The Vatican revealed the funeral of the pontiff will occur Saturday in St. Peter’s Square but, unlike the majority of his predecessors, Francis did not choose to be buried under St. Peter’s Basilica. He instead selected the Esquiline Hill’s Santa Maria Maggiore, one of Rome’s ancient and most sacred basilicas, where he ever exhibited profound devotion to Mary, Mother of God.
Francis asked for a plain burial “in the earth” with no ornate decoration, and only his papal title, Franciscus, written in Latin. He explicitly turned down the traditional triple-layer coffin, opting instead for a plain cypress box.
His burial ground of choice is a small converted candelabra storeroom, just beyond the statue of Mary, Queen of Peace a commission post World War I. In his book El Sucesor, 2024, Francis made this revelation: “I saw it and thought: ‘This is the place.'”
Santa Maria Maggiore has also been a source of spiritual sustenance for the Argentine-born pope. He had gone to the basilica before and after all foreign trips and prayed there in times of special significance during his papacy, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and after surgeries. The basilica is also home to the revered Byzantine icon Salus Populi Romani, to which he was very attached.
Founded in 432 AD, the basilica is steeped in legend, including a miraculous snowfall celebrated annually on August 5. It already holds the remains of seven popes and renowned figures like Baroque artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Francis’ burial outside the Vatican makes him the first pontiff since Pope Leo XIII in 1903 to do so, underscoring his commitment to humility and breaking with long-held ecclesiastical conventions.
