In a poignant departure from long-standing custom, Pope Francis will not be laid to rest in the Vatican Grottoes like most of his predecessors. Instead, the late pontiff requested to be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore—a sacred site of deep personal significance throughout his life and papacy.
The Basilica, one of the four major papal basilicas in Rome, was where Francis prayed before every apostolic journey, kneeling before the beloved Marian icon Salus Populi Romani. It was also the first church he visited as pope, on the day following his election in 2013. His connection to the basilica runs even deeper as a Jesuit—Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, celebrated his first Mass there.
Father Roberto Regoli of the Pontifical Gregorian University emphasized that the tradition of papal burial in St. Peter’s Basilica is not as ancient as many believe. “We know nothing about the burials of the first two centuries,” he explained, noting that early popes were buried in catacombs or smaller churches. The shift toward burial in St. Peter’s began with Pope Leo I in the fifth century.
Today, St. Peter’s Basilica houses the remains of about 90 popes, while other Roman churches such as St. John Lateran, St. Paul Outside the Walls, Santa Maria sopra Minerva, and San Lorenzo fuori le mura also serve as papal resting places. Pope Francis will become the eighth pope interred at Santa Maria Maggiore, joining Honorius III, Nicholas IV, St. Pius V, Sixtus V, Paul V, Clement VIII, and Clement IX.
Francis’ choice echoes that of Pope Leo XIII, the last pope to be buried outside the Vatican—he lies in St. John Lateran, the official cathedral of the Bishop of Rome.
The pope’s final resting place, beside the Salus Populi Romani icon, ensures that even in death, he will remain close to the Virgin Mary and to the people of Rome. His funeral liturgy will conclude not with a procession to the Vatican Grottoes, but with a quiet journey to the Marian shrine that shaped the spiritual rhythm of his pontificate.
