Pope Francis on Wednesday made a revelation during an interview about his final resting place stating that he has chosen to be buried in a basilica in Rome than being buried alongside his immediate predecessors in St Peter’s Basilica.

“The place is already prepared. I want to be buried in Santa Maria Maggiore,” the pontiff, who turns 87 this weekend, told Mexican broadcaster Televisa’s N+ streaming service.

He also revealed his plans to visit Belgium in the year 2024 and also hoped to visit his native places Argentina and Polynesia.

The pontiff’s decision on his tomb would make him the first pope to be buried outside of the Vatican in over a century.

Before Francis, Leo XIII eschewed a tomb in St Peter’s whose remains lie in the basilica of St John the Lateran in Rome. He died in 1903.

Santa Maria Maggiore is one of the four papal basilicas in Rome and one with which Francis said he felt a “special connection”.

Francis used to go there on weekends while visiting Rome before becoming pope. Since being elected in 2013, he prayed there before and after taking a trip and also after undergoing surgery.

As per the Vatican News official media outlet, seven popes have previously been laid to rest in the basilica.