Pope Francis laid to rest at his beloved Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica

Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88, has been laid to rest in Rome's Santa Maria Maggiore basilica, one of his most cherished places of worship.

Following a funeral mass held in St. Peter's Square, the Vatican confirmed that the burial took place during a solemn 30-minute ceremony beginning at 1:00 pm (1100 GMT) on Saturday. Video footage released by the Holy See showed cardinals sealing his wooden and zinc coffin with red wax. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, acting as camerlengo and overseeing the Vatican’s operations until a new pope is elected, blessed the coffin with holy water as it was lowered into its final resting place.

In keeping with Pope Francis's wishes for simplicity, his tomb is modest, bearing only the Latin inscription "Franciscus." Above it hangs a replica of the pectoral cross he wore throughout his papacy. The tombstone is crafted from marble sourced from Liguria, the northwestern Italian region tied to his family’s ancestry.

The Argentine-born pontiff, originally Jorge Bergoglio, had specified in his will that he wanted to be buried at Santa Maria Maggiore, specifically in a side nave near the altar of Saint Francis. He was deeply devoted to the Virgin Mary and frequently visited the basilica to pray before and after his trips abroad.

This burial marks a rare occurrence; the basilica, built in the 5th century under Pope Sixtus III, has not seen a papal burial since Clement IX in 1669. Traditionally, popes have been interred at St. Peter’s Basilica in recent centuries.

Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the four major papal basilicas in Rome, is renowned for its historical significance and houses several important relics, including an ancient icon of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus, attributed to Saint Luke. It is also the final resting place of notable figures like architect and sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who designed St. Peter’s Square.