Why will the Pope be buried in Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, unlike his predecessors? Read here

Pope Francis, an ardent Marian Devotee who passed away at 88, chose to be buried not in the grand tombs beneath St Peter’s Basilica but rather in Rome's Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.

The Basilica of Saint Mary Major was far more than a historical landmark for Pope Francis; it was his spiritual refuge. He first visited the Basilica in 2013 and then he made it a ritual to visit the Basilica before and after every apostolic journey. He would pray silently before the beloved Byzantine icon of the Virgin Mary known as Salus Populi Romani- protector of the Roman people. 

Pope Francis is not the only Pope to be buried in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, seven other Popes were buried there before him. But he would be the first Pope in 350 years to be buried there. His last visit to the Basilica was on April 12 to mark the beginning of the holy week.

A glimpse through the history of the Basilica

The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is one of the four major papal basilicas dedicated to the Virgin Mary. According to the legend, it was founded after a miraculous snowfall on Esquiline Hill in August 358 AD that guided Pope Liberius to lay its foundations. 

This historical moment is celebrated every year on the Feast of Our Lady of the Snows. The present-day structure of the basilica that we see today was built under Sixtus III in the 5th century and officially recognised Mary as the mother of God. This declaration stirred a new wave of Marian Devotion. 

The mosaics that depict the Old and New Testament scenes still glitter across its triumphal arch and the nave. The Basilica contains a part of the wood from the Holy Crib of Jesus Christ. It is in the Borghese Chapel of the Basilica that the famous Byzantine icon of the Virgin Mary known as Salus Populi Romani (Salvation of the Roman people) enshrined. The icon portrays Mother Mary holding child Jesus in her arms. The Basilica is the resting place for several notable personalities including Popes Sixtus V, Nicholas IV, and Clement VIII as well as the architect and sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini who designed St Peter’s Square. Pope Francis, the embodiment of simplicity now rests close to the icon of Mother Mary.

In an interview in 2023 with Valentina Alazraki, the Pontiff expressed his desire to be buried in the basilica, “As I always promised the Virgin and the place is already prepared, I want to be buried in St Mary Major, because it is my great devotion”.

 Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope, continued the tradition of the Jesuits' deep devotion to the Virgin Mary throughout his life and chose to be buried there as a final act of devotion. Throughout his papacy, Francis returned to the Basilic again and again and would pray before Salus Populi Romani asking for Mary’s protection. 100 such visits have been recorded according to America Magazine; it signifies how central the Basilica was to him in his life. 

Now the Pope’s tomb will lie near his beloved mother Mary in a simple niche marked only by his name 'Franciscus' no papal crown and no ornate sculpting in the tomb, just stone and silence.

World