Every time Pope Francis came back to Rome after a trip abroad, he made sure to pay a visit to the church of Santa Maria Maggiore.

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.

Santa Maria Maggiore feels steeped in the "real" Rome – despite technically being a part of the Vatican state.

The square it stands on - lined with bus stops, cafes and shops - certainly seems a world away from the awe-inspiring St Peter's Square and its imposing basilica, under which Popes are usually buried in centuries-old crypts.

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