Vatican unveils details of Pope Francis’s marble tomb
The tombstone will bear a simple inscription and be made of material from the Italian region that was home to the pontiff’s ancestors
A simple, marble tomb nestled in a niche of a Roman basilica beloved by Pope Francis will mark the pontiff’s last resting place, the Vatican said on Thursday, releasing an image of the project.
The tombstone will bear only the inscription “Franciscus” – the pope’s name in Latin – and its marble will be sourced from Liguria, the northwestern Italian region that was once home to the Argentinian pontiff’s Italian ancestors.
A reproduction of the pectoral cross worn by Francis during his lifetime will hang above it.
The tomb will be located near the altar of Saint Francis in the side nave of Santa Maria Maggiore, a fifth-century church in the heart of Rome that already holds the tombs of seven popes, the Vatican said.
Francis was devoted to the worship of the Virgin Mary and made a point of praying in Santa Maria Maggiore before leaving on trips abroad and upon his return to Rome.
The pope declared in 2023 his desire to be entombed in the basilica.