Pope Francis, who passed away on Easter Monday, has made history once again. Departing from centuries of tradition, he decided to not be buried beneath St. Peter’s Basilica within Vatican City, but instead at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.
In his final testament, released by the Vatican, Francis requested a “simple” tomb, asking that it be “in the earth; simple, without particular decoration and with the only inscription: Franciscus.”
After the service, his body was transported across the Tiber River to Santa Maria Maggiore, as he became the first pope in over a century to be interred outside the Vatican walls.
The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore — known as St. Mary Major — has long been a sacred place for Pope Francis. It is also one of Rome’s four papal basilicas and sits atop the Esquiline Hill, the highest of the city’s famed seven hills.
