Basilica of St. Mary the Great, where Pope Francis chose to be buried, is an imposing 5th-century church in the heart of Rome that already contains the tombs of seven popes.
The Argentine pope, who died on Monday at the age of 88, said in late 2023 that he wanted to be buried in this basilica, rather than in the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica, which would be the first time in more than three centuries that a pope has been buried there.
"Right behind the sculpture of the Queen of Peace (the Virgin Mary) there is a small recess, a door that leads to the room where the candlesticks were stored. I saw that and thought: 'that's the place'."
"And there a burial place was prepared," he told Spanish Vatican expert Javier Martinez-Brocal in his 2024 book "The Successor."
Seven popes are buried in this basilica. The last was Clement IX in 1669. It is also the final resting place of some other famous figures, such as the architect and sculptor Bernini, who built the colonnade in St. Peter's Square.
Jorge Bergoglio, who was very attached to the cult of the Virgin Mary, meditated in the basilica, which is officially part of the Vatican territory, before and after every trip abroad.
The interior has retained an appearance close to the original: the central nave is lined with 40 Ionic columns and spectacular mosaics.
According to tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared in a dream to the rich Roman patrician John and Pope Liberius (352-366), asking to build a church in her honor and indicating the chosen place by covering it with snow in the middle of summer, on August 5.
Nothing remains of this first church, which was financed by John, the Vatican claims.
The present-day church, one of the four papal basilicas in Rome, was built around 432 AD at the request of Pope Sixtus III, on the Esquiline Hill.
It houses some of Catholicism's most precious relics, including an icon attributed to Saint Luke, showing the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus in her arms.
The basilica also houses pieces of wood from the cradle of baby Jesus. Recent studies have allowed them to be scientifically dated to the time of Jesus' birth, according to the basilica's website. They are kept in a rock crystal reliquary in the shape of a cradle.
Photo: EPA/VATICAN MEDIA HANDOUT
