The funeral of Pope Francis will be held on Saturday, 27 April, the Vatican has announced.

The Argentine pontiff, 88, died on Monday from a stroke, less than a month after returning home from five weeks in hospital battling double pneumonia. 

His funeral, which is expected to draw huge crowds, will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday in the square in front of St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.

Francis’s coffin -- which he previously ordered should be of wood and zinc -- will then be taken inside the church and from there to the Rome basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore for burial. 

The date was set by the first so-called “general congregation” of cardinals this morning, which kicked off a centuries-old process that culminates in the election of a new pontiff within three weeks. 

Cardinals of all ages are invited to the congregations, although only those under the age of 80 are eligible to vote for a new pope in the conclave. 

Earlier, the Vatican published the first images of the pontiff in his open coffin, ahead of its transfer to St Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday at 9:00 am, to lie in state.

The Pope’s body was photographed during a service Monday evening in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican residence where he lived during his 12-year papacy, and where he died. 

The Pope’s body was moved into the Santa Marta chapel on Monday evening, and his apartment formally sealed, the Vatican said. 

Francis, who wore plain robes and eschewed the luxury of his predecessors, has opted for a simple tomb, unadorned except for his name in Latin, Franciscus, according to his will released Monday. 

In chosing to be buried in Rome’s Santa Maria Maggiore basilica, he will become the first pope in more than 100 years to be laid to rest outside the Vatican. 

His death certificate released by the Vatican said Francis died of a stroke, causing a coma and “irreversible” heart failure. 

He had been discharged from Rome’s Gemelli hospital on March 23 and ordered to spend at least two months resting. 

But Francis, who never took a holiday and delighted in being among his flock, made numerous public appearances in recent days. 

He appeared exhausted on Sunday during the Easter celebrations, but nevertheless greeted the crowds in his popemobile in St Peter’s Square. 

Meanwhile, tributes have poured in from around the globe for Pope Francis, a liberal reformer who took over following the resignation of German theologian Benedict XVI in 2013. 

His home country, Argentina, prepared for a week of national mourning. 

Heads of state and royalty are expected for his funeral, with US President Donald Trump and France’s Emmanuel Macron the first to announce they would attend even before a date was confirmed.

The Church is also now preparing for a conclave, expected to begin after May 6, where 135 cardinal electors, nearly 80 percent of whom were appointed by Francis, will vote in secret to choose his successor.

With no clear favourite emerging, cardinals will use General Congregations in the coming days to reflect on the Church’s future direction.

--With Inputs from Agencies