The Vatican said around 200,000 individuals paid their respects to former Pope Benedict XVI during his three-day lie-in. His body has been placed in a coffin in preparation for his funeral on Thursday.
The former Pope died on New Year's Eve at the age of 95, over a decade after stepping down due to health issues.
According to the Vatican, Pope Francis will preside over the funeral, marking the first time in over 220 years that an incumbent Pope has led his predecessor's funeral. According to the Vatican, the celebration would be defined by simplicity, as Benedict requested.
At 9:30 local time (8:30 GMT), tens of thousands of people are anticipated to attend the funeral at St. Peter's Square in front of St. Peter's Basilica.
Only official delegations from Italy and Benedict's native Germany will attend because Benedict was no longer a head of state when he passed away.
According to the Catholic news agency, other leaders such as King Philippe of Belgium and Queen Letizia of Spain, as well as the leaders of Poland and Hungary, will attend in an unofficial capacity.
His body will be placed in a zinc coffin, which will then be placed in a wooden case, before being buried in the crypt. Along with his body, memorials to his tenure as pope will be arranged.
In 2013, Benedict resigned as pope, breaking a 600-year streak.
But even after retiring, he was still a "powerful presence" in the Vatican, according to Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the most senior British official there.
Whether Benedict sought it out or not, observers of Vatican affairs claim that he became a focal point for internal criticism of Pope Francis.
"Obviously there have been, in the Church, people who have looked to Benedict to contrast certain decisions that have been made by Pope Francis," Archbishop Gallagher told the BBC. But he added that the two pontiffs had had an excellent relationship.
The Vatican's foreign secretary, Archbishop Gallagher, also noted that events over the last week have changed the equation, potentially allowing Pope Francis to ponder his own resignation more freely.
Mourners traveled from all around the world to pay their respects to the former Pope during his three days in state.
According to his final wishes, the Pope Emeritus will be laid to rest in the tombs under the Basilica following his funeral.
