In uncharted retirement, pope to live on at heart of Vatican

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict may be retreating into a life of prayer but the first retired pontiff since the Middle Ages will, physically at least, remain at the very heart of the Vatican.

The convent of Mater Ecclesiae - Mother of the Church - is being renovated and following Benedict's shock resignation will offer him a substantial, four-storey, modern home, complete with contemporary chapel, garden and a roof terrace looking out from a rise dominated by the Holy See's TV transmission tower.