13/12/2023
Pope Francis has revealed that when the time comes, he will be buried at the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major. Many popes are buried in the crypt at Saint Peter, but it is not a requirement.
The Pope explained that he has a deep devotion to Maria Salus Populi Romani (Health of the Roman People), perhaps the oldest Marian image in Rome, which is kept in the church’s Borghese Chapel. He visits the icon of Our Lady before and after every trip and every hospital visit. Recently he donated three golden roses to the ancient icon.
During the pontificate of Liberius, around the year 325, a Roman man and his wife—who were without any heirs—made a vow to donate their possessions to the Virgin Mary. They prayed that she might make known to them how they should honor her. On 5 August, at the height of the Roman summer, snow fell during the night. In obedience to a vision of the Virgin Mary which they had the same night, they went to the Pope who allegedly had the same apparition, and a church was erected at the site. August 5 is the Feast of Our Lady of the Snows.
The church is also home to relics of the manger of the Nativity, and the burial place of Saint Jerome, a Father and Doctor of the Church.
