March 13, 2013. White tobacco. “Good evening”. Pope Francis goes out to the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to greet the crowd. A few hours after the coveted “Habemus Papam”, she visits Santa Maria Maggore to pray.
It is the place that loves more than anyone else in Rome. His own shit. In Santa Maria Maggore, she prayed for the last time ,.
Knee kneeling in front of the image of the Virgin Mary, he prayed before and after each journey. On this last trip, Santa Maria Maggore will play a decisive role. , after his own express desire.
Pope Francis: His will and his burial directive
“As, and with a steady hope in eternal life, I wish to deposit my last wishes only for my burial place.
Throughout my life, and during my ministry as a priest and bishop, I always trusted myself to the Mother of our Lord, the Virgin Mary. For this reason, I ask my mortal relics to rest – waiting for the day of the Resurrection – in the papal basilica of St. Maria of Megalochari.
I wish my last earthly journey to end exactly in this ancient sanctuary, where I always stopped to pray at the beginning and end of every apostolic journey, confidently trusting my intentions to the uninvited mother, and expressing gratitude for her sweet and maternal care.
Photo Credits: Epa/Observer Romano
I ask that my grave be prepared on the side aisle, between the chapel of Salus Populi Romani and the chapel sporti, as shown in the attached design. The tomb should be on the ground; simple, without special decoration, only carrying the inscription: Franciscus.
The cost of preparing the burial will be covered by an amount given by a benefactor, which I have arranged to be transferred to the papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggore. I have given the necessary instructions on this to the Cardinal Roldas Makrikas, Extraordinary Commissioner of the Liberian Basilica.
May the Lord be worthy of reward for all who loved me and continue to pray for me. The pain that characterized the last part of my life I offer to the Lord, for peace in the world and the brotherhood between the peoples, “Pope Francis said in his will, which he drafted on June 29, 2022.
The choice of Basilica of Santa Maria Maggore
“In May 2022 I asked him if he was fortunate enough to be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Matzore, as he was often coming,” Raldas Makrikas told the Italian newspaper “Il Messaggero}, reporting his report on how his decision came there.
Pope Francis listened to the question and smile. It was enough to answer “the popes are buried in Saint Peter”. “That was all,” Macrikas thought.
“A week later he phoned me and said,” Our Lady told me to prepare my grave. ” Then he simply told me, “Find a place for that, because I want to be buried in this basilica and you were a little prophet,” Raldas Makrikas describes.
Immediately after that short phone call, Makrikas began preparations inside Santa Maria Maggore. The tomb of Pope Francis is on the side of the icon of Our Lady who so much loved.
Salus Populi Romani, The Picture of Our Lady
“As I have always promised the Virgin Mary, and the place is already ready, I want to be buried in Santa Maria Matzore, because it is my great worship. In the past, when I came here, I always went there on Sunday mornings. When I was in Rome, I was going there for a while. There is a very strong connection, “Pope Francis had said.
It is worth noting that Pope Francis will be the first of the time of Leo III, (died in 1903), which will not be buried in the Basilica of St. Peter.
Photo Credits: REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
Many associate his love for this particular temple with the fact that he came from the Order of Jesuit who are historically linked to the worship of the Virgin Mary. The Battalion of the Jesuits was the leadership of being officially characterized by the Roman Catholic Church, the Virgin Mary, the mother of God.
In the center of Santa Maria Matzore is the image of the infant Virgin Mary called “Salus Populi Romani” – in favor of the health of the people of Rome – the protector of the Romans.
Dozens of photos of Pope Francis, the 12 years of his papacy, praying in front of the image of the Virgin Mary, whose restoration – by his command – have been spent on significant funds.
The Pope’s latest offer to Our Lady was a bouquet of all -gold roses that was placed in front of the picture.
According to tradition, the icon was designed by Saint Luke the Evangelist, patron of the painters. Historians and scientists question this particular origin, referring to St. Helen. According to this tradition, St. Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine I, brought the image to Rome from Jerusalem along with other sacred relics, including the Holy Cross.
Salus Populi Romani is worshiped in Rome by the Ephesus meeting in 431 AD.
The painting, made of cedar wood (117 x 79 cm) depicts a half -form of Our Lady with Christ the infant in her arms.
The image is inextricably linked to the identity of Rome and the popes.
Santa Maria Maggiore
The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggore is one of the four papal basilicas and the largest in Rome dedicated to Virgin Mary.
According to the Treaty of the Latteran (1929) between the Holy See and the Italian state, the Basilica belongs to the Holy See and is ground outside the Vatican, with the rights of the embassies of other states in Italy.
The current temple was built by Pope Sixtos III (432-440), according to the triumphant arc: Sixtus episcopus plebi dei. In addition to this temple on the Esculin hill, the Pope is said to have commissioned extensive building projects throughout the city, which continued by his successor Pope Leo I.
Photo Credits: REUTERS/Vincenzo Livieri
It is located a short walk from some of Rome’s most recognizable milestones, such as Colosseum, and a breath away from the endless busy and chaotic central Termini station in the city.
Santa Maria Maggore is immersed in “real” Rome. The square where it is – full of bus stops, cafes and shops – seems to be far from the impressive Square of St. Peter and its imposing basilica.
The interior of the basilica is 86 meters long and is divided into three aisles from a series of monolithic columns that end up in Ionic capitals. The roof is attributed to Julian da Shangalo.
The church dome was built with the first gold that arrived from America to Europe, donated by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain.
The floor dates back to the middle of the 12th century and perhaps its most impressive element is the mosaic of the 5th century in the triumphant arch with themes from the New Testament
Santa Maria Matzore will welcome Pope Francis on Saturday (26/04/25).
Photo Credits:
Reuters/Guglielmo Mangiaipane
Who are buried in Santa Maria Maggore
Saint Hieronymus 420 (relics)
Pope Onorian III 1227 (no longer)
Pope Nikolaos II 1292
Guindo Askano Sforce Di Santa Fira 1564, Cardinal
Pope Pius E 1572
Pope Sixtos E590
Pope Clemis n΄ Aldobrandini 1605
Pope Clemis II 1669
Jan Lorenzo Bernini 1680
Pavlina Bonaparte-Bergenze 1825
Junio Valerio Borgenze 1974
Domenico nun TD, Archbishop
Hugo Pohetti 1997, Cardinal, Papal Representative (Vicarius) for the Diocese of Rome
With information from BBC, CBS News, Vatican News, Official Site of Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore
