XIII fell ill in 1724. He was tormented by a hernia of which he spoke to nobody but his valet. At one point, it had burst and caused inflammation and fever. Innocent XIII asked for the last rites, made his profession of faith, and died on 7 March 1724, at the age of 68. His pontificate was unremarkable, given that he was hampered by physical suffering. He was interred in the grotto at Saint Peter's Basilica. Innocent XIII had suffered from a hernia about three to four months after his election but also suffered from acute attacks of pain due to kidney stones. But Innocent XIII did himself no favors with his excessive appetite and no exercise. He also suffered from lethargy that caused him to sleep a great deal. In mid-February 1724, his suffering grew worse to the point that he could no longer get up, suffering from an accumulation of water in his lower limbs in what was an indication of severe kidney problems. This led to his doctors fearing that he could develop congestive heart failure. On 3 March, despite his failing health, Innocent XIII set to work signing documents, though he suffered poor sleep that night and had a better day on 4 March. In the morning on 5 March, one of the papal doctors fed Innocent XIII a purgative, however, this backfired and only aggravated the hernia. An attempted reduction was only partially successful, resulting in a strangulated hernia, while the pope experienced great pain in the night between 5 and 6 March. However, a serious inflammation quickly set in, causing the pope to contract a fever. Innocent XIII, now very well aware of his state of health, immediately asked for the Viaticum, receiving it on 6 March as his family gathered to see him. However, there had been attempts to get the pope to name new cardinals, simply to create stronger factions in the conclave. At 4:00pm on 6 March, he signed a codicil to his will, and that night asked for and received the Extreme Unction. Innocent XIII died at sunset, around 23:00 hours (Rome time) on 7 March. Beatification request In 2005 upon the occasion of the 350 years since the birth of the late pontiff, the citizens in the late pope's village of birth asked the Holy See to introduce the cause of beatification for Innocent XIII. See also Cardinals created