The Santa Maria Maggiore basilica, which Pope Francis chose as his final resting place, is a fifth-century church located in the centre of Rome that already holds the tombs of seven popes.

But Francis will be the first pontiff in more than a century to be buried outside the Vatican, as he requested a “simple” tomb a couple of miles away in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore ...

Perched on top of one of the seven hills on which ancient Rome was built, Santa Maria Maggiore is one of four papal basilicas and held a close spot in Pope Francis’ heart. It’s where he began ...

Every time Pope Francis came back to Rome after a trip abroad, he made sure to pay a visit to the church of Santa Maria Maggiore. It was a fitting choice: Francis was particularly devoted to the ...

He also asked that his “last earthly journey” end at the “very ancient Marian shrine,” of Santa Maria Maggiore, or St. Mary Major, in Rome. With St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran ...

Pope Francis has broken with recent papal tradition by choosing to be buried in the Roman Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore instead of St Peter’s Basilica. While not the first pope to be buried ...

After his funeral, which is being held toda, Pope Francis will be laid to rest at Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major), a church to which he had a “very strong connection.” Notably ...

After a multi-lingual mass in St Peter's Square, his coffin will be taken to the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica, in central Rome, for burial. Here is the official program of the ceremonies ...