Santa Maria Maggiore: The church to become Pope Francis's resting place

The Pope would visit Santa Maria Maggiore whenever he returned to Rome and chose it as the site of his grave.

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It was a fitting choice: Francis was particularly devoted to the Virgin Mary, and Santa Maria Maggiore was the first church to be dedicated to her when it was built in the 4th Century.

It is one of Rome's four major basilicas and one of the oldest in the city.

On Saturday, it will also become Francis's final resting place.

It is a short walk from some of Rome's most recognisable landmarks like the Colosseum, and a stone's throw from the city's endlessly bustling and chaotic central Termini station. The diverse Esquilino neighbourhood is close by.