as the Basilica of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Pompei. Later life and death At the suggestion of Pope Leo XIII, Bartolo Longo and the Countess Mariana di Fusco were married on April 7, 1885. The couple remained continent (abstained from intercourse), and continued to do many charitable works and provided for orphaned children and the children of prisoners, which was radical for its time. In 1906 they donated the entire property of the Pompei shrine to the Holy See. Longo continued promoting the Rosary until his death on October 5, 1926, at the age of 85. The piazza on which his basilica stands has since been named in memory of Longo. His body is encased in a glass tomb and he is wearing the mantle of a Knight of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, a papal order of knighthood. Beatification On October 26, 1980, he was beatified by Pope John Paul II, who would call him the "Apostle of the Rosary" and mentioned him specifically in his apostolic letter "Rosarium Virginis Mariae" (The Rosary of the Virgin Mary). On October 7, 2003, Pope John Paul II prayed for world peace at the basilica. More than 30,000 people were waiting to greet him as he flew in by helicopter. References External links Pope John Paul II's Pastoral Visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompei, 7 October 2003 Biography of Blessed Bartolo Longo by Angelo Stagnaro From Satanist to Saint by Fr. Roger J. Landry, 31 October 2008 Frisk, M. Jean. "Our Lady of Pompeii", Marian Library, University of Dayton 1841 births 1926 deaths 20th-century venerated Christians Italian beatified people Former Satanists Italian anti-communists Italian Dominicans 20th-century Italian lawyers Lay Dominicans People from Pompei People from the Province of Brindisi University of Naples Federico II alumni Beatifications by Pope John Paul II Knights of the Holy Sepulchre Converts to Roman Catholicism from pagan religions Anti-Masonry