By BY BBC| Under the watchful marble eye of popes and saints, a steady stream of people walk up to the pope’s body in his simple casket, pay their respects – some kneel, others cross themselves – and slowly move on.
Many linger to admire the staggering beauty of the basilica.
What’s striking is how quiet it is in here given how many thousands of people there are. Occasionally, a baby cries. But by and large, it’s all very quiet, and very solemn.
As the sun beats down on St Peter’s Square, there’s a sea of umbrellas as pilgrims try to keep cool under the relentless sun.
Crowds are streaming in on both sides of the square, in calm and orderly queues to see Pope Francis lying in state in the basilica.
In the past, few hours the whole area around the Vatican has begun to feel far busier, with increased security and checkpoints around the square and a heavy police presence.
Among those we’ve spoken to are a mixture of tourists in Rome already, and pilgrims who traveled here especially – Catholics from around the world including groups from the U, K, the US and Zimbabwe.
They’ve told us they feel they must be here, and that it wasn’t difficult to find flights to travel over.
There are priests and nuns and other people of all ages, including some with young children. At the edge of the square, the media circus continues to grow – every so often a cardinal will walk through, chased by a scrum of cameras and journalists looking for comment ahead of the conclave.
From the rooftop of a nearby convent where we’re broadcasting from, we can see the queue snaking around the sides of the square.
For those in it, there’s a palpable sense of unity as they wait to pay their respects to Pope Francis.
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