Popes are traditionally buried within Vatican City, most commonly beneath St. Peter's Basilica, where about 90 popes rest, including 21 in the Vatican grottoes

. The tradition of burying popes in St. Peter’s dates back to at least the 5th century, with Pope Leo I being the first pope buried there

. However, not all popes are buried in the Vatican. Many have tombs in other major churches in Rome, such as:

• Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major), where several popes including Saint Pius V, Sixtus V, Clement VIII, Paul V, and Clement IX are buried

. Pope Francis requested to be buried here as well, marking the first time in over a century a pope will be buried outside the Vatican

• St. John Lateran, which holds the tombs of 22 popes, including Leo XIII

• Other Roman basilicas like Santa Maria sopra Minerva, San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, San Giovanni in Laterano, and Santi XII Apostoli also contain papal tombs

Additionally, about 30 popes are buried outside of Rome, in places such as Avignon (during the papal residency there), L'Aquila, Arezzo, Salerno, and other locations in Italy and Europe

. In summary, while the majority of popes are buried beneath St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, many are interred in other significant churches in Rome or elsewhere, with Pope Francis being a recent example of a pope choosing a burial site outside the Vatican, specifically the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore