Following the death of Pope Francis on Monday, April 21, there’s been a great deal of interest in popes of the past as members of the Catholic Church prepare for a new leader.
Following a series of rituals surrounding his memorial, Francis’ body was taken from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta, his residence at the Vatican, to St Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday, April 23, at 9 a.m. local time, according to the Vatican. His body will remain there until his burial on Saturday, April 26.
Ahead of lying in state, the pope’s body “underwent a temporary embalming process known as thanatopraxy,” with the goal of “a more serene and natural appearance of the deceased [that] lasts up to 10 days,” per Andrea Fantozzi, founder of the Italian National Institute of Thanatopraxy (INIT).
This method of preservation was adopted after an unexpected incident involving the embalming of Pope Pius XII in October 1958.
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Pope Pius XII in 1958
Related: Pope Francis Lies in State in Open Casket at St. Peter’s Basilica as Catholics Line Up to Pay Their Respects
Pope Pius XII died in October 1958, after 19 years as Pontiff. Pope Pius XII had stated that upon his death, he wanted to be preserved in a different manner than what was standard in the century prior.
A typical embalming process at that time would involve removing organs from the body and, in the pope’s case, preserving them in jars. However, Pius XII told his physician, Dr. Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi, that he wanted his body preserved without the removal of his internal organs.
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Pope Pius XII funeral in 1958
Pius XII was externally preserved using oils and resins before being wrapped in cellophane, a system believed to be used with cloth on Jesus Christ in his preparation for burial. What was not accounted for, however, is that Pius XII died at the papal summer estate, Castel Gandolfo. There was then a procession to Rome, where he was set to lie in state.
The intense heat sped up the decomposition and putrefaction processes on the lightly embalmed body. The body effectively “exploded” from the gases within on the fourth day lying in state. His nose and fingers then fell off, promptly ending the public viewing.
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Pope Pius XII funeral in 1958
Not only did the body visibly start decomposing, but it did so before a crowd of faithful mourners who were horrified by the sight. Members of the Swiss Guard became sick and even fainted as the stench traveled, according to reports.
Anthea Butler, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, tells PEOPLE that the moment marked a turning point for the church, which wanted to go to “great lengths to make sure this would not happen ever again.”
“What the church wants is to be able to present the pope in dignity, and that was not dignified,” she tells PEOPLE of the unfortunate incident in papal history.
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