The Vatican has announced that Pope Francis’s coffin will be taken to St Peter’s Basilica tomorrow, giving the public an opportunity to pay their final respects. His burial will take place on Saturday at the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome—making him the first Pope to be laid to rest there in over 350 years.

St Peter’s Basilica: A Monument of Faith and Architecture

Located in Vatican City, St Peter’s Basilica stands as one of the most iconic religious structures in the world. Built over what is believed to be the tomb of St Peter the Apostle, the basilica was completed in 1626 and designed by some of Italy’s most renowned architects, including Michelangelo and Bernini. Today, it remains a major pilgrimage site and a symbol of the Roman Catholic Church.

St Mary Major: A Place of Deep Personal Significance

Also a Unesco World Heritage site, the Basilica of St Mary Major holds a special place in Pope Francis’s spiritual journey. He visited the basilica just hours after his election in 2013 and made it a personal tradition to stop there before and after every trip abroad. Home to the revered icon *Salus Populi Romani* (Salvation of the Roman People), the basilica is the final resting place of seven previous Popes.

This weekend’s events will mark a historic and heartfelt farewell to a pontiff who deeply influenced the modern Catholic Church.