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The vast underground graveyard or crypt beneath St Peter's Basilica is known as the Vatican Grottoes
It houses the tombs of scores of popes; others are buried in the basilica; most of the rest lie in other Rome churches
John Paul II's burial place is where John XXIII lay before he was moved to a chapel in 2001 after his beatification
John Paul II lies in a cypress wood coffin, which was put into a sealed zinc coffin and covered by an oak casket
Unlike some of his predecessors, his tomb will have a simple stone with his name and dates rather than an ornate sarcophagus
Some European royals are also buried in the underground cemetery, including Queen Cristina of Sweden |
