Rome is a city famous for its wonderful buildings and its tapestry of emotions, and sometimes they combine. To be in Vatican City now is to be at the heart of a tale that is at once sad, affecting and mesmerising. St Peter's Basilica is one of the most beautiful churches in the world - a masterpiece of art, architecture and faith. It has been witness to centuries of turbulent history, when faith has been tested and the path of the Catholic Church has been shared and defined. And now it writes its next chapter. Follow latest: Pope's burial wishes are revealed Pope Francis, a man who eschewed the grandeur and ceremony that beguiled some of his predecessors, will leave this place shortly, when he will be buried in another place altogether. A Pope who tried to defy convention is, in death, maintaining that idea of free-thinking. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:42 Who could be the next pope? He will be laid to rest in Rome, but not at St Peter's, but in a burial spot that has only now been revealed as part of his will, and which has been paid for by a private, and anonymous, benefactor. It is not as if the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is a particularly humble church - it is a Papal basilica, after all - but it is not St Peter's. Nor will his funeral have all the trappings of previous Popes. It is understood that Francis was surprised and troubled by the lavishness of previous ceremonies and felt that a Pope should instead be buried "like any son or daughter of the church". Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:13 The pope’s apartment has been sealed As I write, St Peter's twinkles in the twilight. There are thousands of people in the square - a blend of curious tourists, locals paying their respects, emergency service personnel, nuns, priests and some who have made pilgrimages to the Vatican, only to find themselves at the heart of the church at a moment of high tension. Image: The Pope's death has had a profound impact on mourners in Saint Peter's Square. Pic: Oliver Weiken/picture-alliance/dpa/AP And they are jumbled together. A police van is parked to the side, ready to offer assistance, its officers ambling round slightly awkwardly. Flocks of seagulls descend and squawk vociferously. Television reporters pitch up in various corners. There is space to move at the moment, but that will change. Many will come to this square in the coming days to witness history, to pay their respects and simply to experience what it is to be part of an event such as this. Get Sky News on WhatsApp Follow our channel and never miss an update. Tap here to follow Read more: Pope suffered stroke and heart failure The world pays tribute How is a new pope chosen? We may not get the crowds that arrived in the Vatican in 2005, when four million people came to Rome after the death of John Paul II. But this will still be an immense outpouring of emotion, and also a vast logistical challenge for all those involved. Already, the Roman authorities have called up around 2,000 personnel. They may yet need more. John Paul II was the last Pope to die while still in office. There is a whole generation of Catholics for whom this is a new experience, and they come to it in a world where social media is so influential and where cultural divisions feel wider than they have for a long time. The Catholic Church has endured numerous challenges and has experienced just about everything before, but this may be something new - when a Pope dies, and when a conclave meets, the morals of religion and politics become entwined. Now, more than ever, the world will be watching.