Pope Francis finally laid to rest in Santa Maria Maggiore basilica

Pope Francis has finally been laid to rest inside Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome on Saturday, following a funeral mass at St Peter’s Square, the Vatican confirmed.

The late pontiff, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88, was buried during a 30-minute ceremony that began at 1:00 pm (1100 GMT).

Footage shared by the Holy See captured the moment cardinals sealed his wooden and zinc coffin with red wax, while Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the camerlengo overseeing the Vatican’s daily affairs, sprinkled holy water on it before it was lowered into the tomb.

True to his humble spirit, Francis had requested a simple and unadorned burial site.

His tombstone, bearing only the Latin inscription “Franciscus,” is made from marble sourced from Liguria, the region tied to his Italian ancestry.

Francis, born Jorge Bergoglio, had chosen the exact spot for his burial back in 2023, a side nave of the beloved fifth-century basilica where he often prayed before and after his international trips.

Devoted to the Virgin Mary, Francis’ connection to Santa Maria Maggiore was deeply personal.

The basilica, one of Rome’s four major papal churches, had not received a papal burial since Pope Clement IX in 1669.

It already houses the tombs of seven other popes and other notable figures like Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the artist behind St Peter’s Square’s iconic design.

Hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered earlier in St Peter’s Square to bid farewell to the pope, remembered as a leader who ruled “with an open heart.”

Santa Maria Maggiore, built around 432 AD under Pope Sixtus III, also holds treasured relics, including an ancient icon of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus, believed to have been painted by Saint Luke.

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