Pope Francis, 88, who died on Monday following a stroke and cardiac arrest, will become the first pope to be buried in a single coffin, abandoning a centuries-old Vatican tradition. The late Pontiff had expressed his wish for a simpler burial, opting for a wooden coffin lined with zinc instead of the traditional triple-nested coffins of cypress, zinc, and elm used for his predecessors. He had formally changed the rules to permit his simpler interment.

Other aspects of the funeral rites also broke free from some of the historical customs. During the period of public viewing, Pope Francis’s body rested in a modest open casket, rather than being placed atop a raised platform or 'catafalque' as in earlier papal funerals. The Vatican had moved away from that practice after the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI in 2022, following reforms initiated by Francis to emphasise the pope’s identity as a servant of the people.

In keeping with his wishes, Pope Francis will be laid to rest at the Basilica of St Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore) in Rome — a historic fifth-century church he called his “great devotion”. He had a long personal connection to the basilica, often visiting it after returning from international trips. The last pope to be interred there was Pope Clement IX in 1669.

The tomb, crafted from Ligurian slate stone, reflects another personal wish of Pope Francis — to honour his family’s Italian roots, Vatican News said. The stone was sourced from Cogorno, the town from which his maternal great-grandfather Vincenzo Sivori emigrated to Argentina in the 1800s. The tomb bears a simple inscription, “Franciscus,” and a reproduction of the late Pope’s pectoral cross. It is located near the Altar of St Francis, between the Pauline and Sforza Chapels.

Speaking on Italian television, Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, the co-Archpriest of the Basilica, confirmed the Pope’s desire for Ligurian stone, describing it as a tribute to his grandparents' homeland.