Pope Francis, who died April 21 at the age of 88, will be buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, in accordance with his Spiritual Testament.
The Vatican confirmed that the burial site will be located in the Pauline Chapel of the basilica, which houses the revered icon of Maria Salus Populi Romani (Latin, which can be translated as “Mary, the health or salvation of the Roman people.”). Pope Francis often prayed before the Marian image, particularly before and after his apostolic journeys.
The marble tomb was constructed from stone sourced in Liguria, the northern Italian region where the pope’s maternal ancestors originated. The stone was quarried near the town of Cogorno, the birthplace of his great-grandfather, Vincenzo Sivori, who emigrated to Argentina in the 19th century.
Franca Garbaino, president of the Slate District that oversees 18 quarries and 12 companies in Liguria, described the material as “not a noble stone,” but “the people’s stone,” in an interview with Vatican News. “It gives warmth,” she said.
According to the Vatican, the slate tomb reflects the late pontiff’s commitment to humility and simplicity. It bears only the Latin inscription Franciscus and a reproduction of his pectoral cross. The tomb is unadorned and situated near the Altar of St. Francis, between the Pauline Chapel and the Sforza Chapel.
In his Spiritual Testament, dated June 29, 2022, Pope Francis wrote, “Throughout my life, and during my ministry as a priest and bishop, I have always entrusted myself to the Mother of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary. For this reason, I ask that my mortal remains rest – awaiting the day of the Resurrection – in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major.”
He also requested “a simple burial in the ground, without particular decoration.”
Pope Francis last visited the basilica on March 23, following his discharge from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital. He had been hospitalized for 38 days, beginning Feb. 14, due to acute respiratory failure caused by multimicrobial bilateral pneumonia and multiple bronchiectases.
On April 23, the Holy See Press Office confirmed that the pope died of a stroke, which led to coma and irreversible cardiac and circulatory failure. His death was verified through electrocardiographic thanatography. The Vatican noted that Pope Francis had a history of chronic medical conditions, including Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and respiratory illness.
The late pope’s burial preferences, expressed in the Spiritual Testament, emphasized themes that marked his pontificate: humility, simplicity, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Pope Francis’s final Easter message, delivered the day before his death, included a reflection on trust in God:
“All those who put their hope in God place their feeble hands in his strong and mighty hand; they let themselves be raised up and set out on a journey.”
