Pope Francis praying before the Byzantine icon of Salus Populi Romani at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome. Vatican News/file 

Up to the very end, Pope Francis chose to break from tradition and decided that he will not be buried at the Vatican grottoes like most of his predecessors.

Instead, the pope chose a spot away from the towering Saint Peter's Basilica in favor of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, known to Italians as the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.

The short answer to this puzzle is the Virgin Mary.

The basilica dedicated to Mary is around six kilometers away from the tourist-filled Saint Peter's.

While still within the ancient city of Rome, the basilica stands outside the domains of Vatican City.

Still, the Holy See possesses full authority over the entire basilica as its status is akin to that of foreign embassies.

It is one of the four papal basilicas of Rome, along with Saint Peter's, Saint Paul Outside the Walls, and the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, the cathedral of the pope.

Every time Pope Francis left and returned to Rome for his apostolic visits abroad, he made sure to always drop by at Santa Maria Maggiore.

He always spent time in front of the ancient image of Salus Populi Romani.

The Byzantine icon depicts Mary carrying the Child Jesus and is believed to be miraculous.

Each time he visited, Pope Francis offered flowers at the altar.

When he returned from his very first World Youth Day as pope in Brazil, he even brought a soccer ball.

It was in 2023 when Pope Francis revealed in an interview that he wished to be buried in Santa Maria Maggiore because of his "very deep bond" to Mary.

But it appeared that the pope had chosen his burial site at least a year earlier than that.

His last will, where he specified his wish for his funeral, was dated June 29, 2022.

"I wish my final earthly journey to end precisely in this ancient Marian sanctuary, where I would always stop to pray at the beginning and end of every Apostolic Journey, confidently entrusting my intentions to the Immaculate Mother, and giving thanks for her gentle and maternal care, the pope said.

His choices were clear. It will be a simple tomb in the ground. There will be no ornamentation. An inscription of his name in Latin, "Franciscus," will be etched on the marble.

The burial niche is found between the Pauline Chapel and the Sforza Chapel of the Basilica.

"Throughout my life, and during my ministry as a priest and bishop, I have always entrusted myself to the Mother of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary," he said.

Signs of this fervent devotion to Mary were present since the very first time he appeared at the central balcony of Saint Peter's.

After imparting his apostolic blessing on the fateful night of his election in March 13, 2013, he requested that the microphone be brought back so he could speak again.

He said to the mammoth crowd at Saint Peter's Square that welcomed him that he would meet them again and that he wished to pray to the Madonna soon.

The next day, his first full day as successor of Peter, the pope came to visit the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.

When he invoked a special Jubilee of Mercy in 2016, he personally opened the Holy Door of the basilica. He also ordered the icon of Mary to be brought out when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

The facade of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, where Pope Francis chose to be buried. 

He never failed to promote devotion to Mary. In papal masses that he presided, he made sure to always incense the image of Mary.

He also popularized the devotion to Our Lady, Untier of Knots — a title of Mary whose feast day is celebrated on September 28.

And to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, the first Latin American pope celebrated masses in the Vatican during her feast day.

After battling double-pneumonia for 38 days at the Gemelli Hospital, he insisted on dropping by at the basilica. The pope was still very frail, so he stayed outside in the car and asked an aide to place flowers before Mary's icon.

He had one final visit to the basilica last April 12, the eve of Palm Sunday.

Ten days later, Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday.

He will be the first pope in centuries who is not buried at Saint Peter's Basilica. Clement IX, who died in 1669, was the last pontiff buried at Santa Maria Maggiore, while Leo XIII, who died in 1903, was interred at the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran.

Pope Francis will be the eighth pontiff buried at the Marian basilica. 

His immediate predecessor, Benedict XVI, was laid to rest at the grottoes underneath Saint Peter's Basilica. Meanwhile, the tomb of John Paul II, when he was declared a saint, was moved to a side altar and has been a major spot for visiting pilgrims.

Saint Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, celebrated his first mass at Santa Maria Maggiore.

On April 26, 2025, the world's first Jesuit pope will be laid to rest in the same basilica.