Pope Francis, who died on Monday (21) after Easter, at the age of 88, breaks with the tradition when choosing his place of burial, opting for an illuminated basilica in place of the Vatican caves.
Pontiffs are usually buried in the Vatican City, under the Basilica of St. Peter. But Francis will be the first Pope over a century to be buried outside the Vatican, as he requested a “simple” tomb a few kilometers away in the Santa Maria Maior Basilica.
The Pope’s funeral will take place on Saturday (26) in São Pedro Square, before his body was taken to the Basilica – across the Tiber River, in the center of Rome – for the burial.
“The tomb must be buried; simple, without special decoration and with the only inscription: Franciscus”, asked the pontiff in his will, released by the Vatican.
He also stated that the costs of his burial would be covered “by an amount provided by a benefactor.”

Although the tomb of Francis is humble, the basilica above it shines with the sunlight and the gold.
The ceiling is coated with golden wood, and the light enters the high windows, illuminating the mosaics that coat the central region.
Faithful and visitors have been clustering on the scene, on the days following the Pope’s death, interested in personally seeing the place he loved.
Raised at the top of one of the seven hills upon which ancient Rome was built, Santa Maria Maggiore is one of the four papal basilicas.
The bell tower is the highest in the 75 -meter -high Italian capital, and its position in the hill makes it the highest point in town.

Legend has it that the Virgin Mary sought Pope Liberius and an Italian aristocrat asking the church to be built in his honor in a place that would be miraculously revealed.
Mount Esquilino in Rome was identified as the place after snowfall in its summit in August 358 at the height of summer.
Currently, a celebration that marks the “Snow Miracle” takes place in the Basilica on August 5 of each year.
The building, as presented today, was commissioned by Pope Sisto III in the year 431.
The mosaics date from this time, and the interior also boasts classic columns looted from other constructions, although it is involved in a neoclassical facade built in the eighteenth century.
Pope Visits
The church has special meaning for Pope Francis, who used to visit her on Sunday mornings to honor the Virgin Mary.
He had a habit of going to Basilica before and after trips abroad, as well as after hospitalizations, to pray to the most important Marian icon, Salus Populi Romani, to which he entrusted the protection of his apostolic travel, following the Jesuit tradition.
A place clearly close to his heart, was where the Pontiff started his first full day as leader of the Catholic Church in 2013.

It was also the first place he visited after leaving the hospital last month, offering flowers to be placed before the Virgin Mary icon before returning to his Vatican residence.
Francisco revealed his plans to be buried at the scene in December 2023, explaining that he felt a “very strong connection” with the Basilica.
“I want to be buried in Santa Maria Maggiore,” he said. “Because it is my great devotion.”
A “place is already prepared” for the burial, the Pope said in 2023, adding that he had been working to speed up the papal funerals.
“We simplified them a lot,” explained the Pontiff. “I will debut the new ritual,” he added, smiling at the time.
First Pope in Basilica in over 300 years
Although seven other popes are buried in Santa Maria Maggiore, Francis will be the first not to be buried in the Basilica of St. Peter since Leo XIII, which died in 1903 and was buried in the Basilica of St. John of Latron.
The last Pope to be buried in Santa Maria Maggiore was Clement IX in 1669.
This is not the only time the Pope broke with tradition: Francisco also refused to live in the Apostolic Palace, the official papal residence, choosing to live in a small apartment in the Vatican guest house, Santa Marta.
Throughout his life, he was known for avoiding luxuries.
As a cardinal in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he was known to use the subway instead of using a driver car.
Later in his career, he would travel to work at the Vatican in a modest Blue Ford Focus.
The Basilica after Francisco’s death
The day after his death, the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica was much busier than normal, with hundreds of mourning, faithful and other visitors.
The atmosphere was charged with feeling, but not dark, and the afternoon mass began with a quintet of metals and animated organ music.
“It was a simply extraordinary experience,” said 71 -year -old Kerry Bruder from Ontario, Canada, after seeing the huge works of art and marble sculptures in the church. “You know people have been there for centuries … And that made you feel small, but in a good way.”
Victoria Ferreira, who traveled from Brazil to Rome to Easter, said she had already visited the basilica days before – but that the feeling was different after the death of the pontiff, adding that “it was very exciting.”
Ferreira, 33, reported to CNN who, as a Catholic, expects the next Pope to lead the Church the same way as Francis.
“He filled us with love, empathy, hope,” she said. “And I think we need, more than ever, to have that in mind and our actions – to be like him.”
This content was originally published in know why Pope Francis will not be buried in the Vatican on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil

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