The Holy Doors

The opening of the Holy Door is the most well-known and moving ritual, marking the beginning of the Jubilee.

The first documented account of the Holy Door opening ceremony at St. Peter's Basilica for the Jubilee dates back to 1500 under Pope Alexander VI.

The Holy Doors are only opened during the Jubilee Year. The four papal basilicas of Rome each have a Holy Door: St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, St. John Lateran, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and St. Mary Major.

The Jubilee began with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica on December 24, followed by the opening of the Holy Door of the Rebibbia Prison on December 26—a symbolic gesture strongly desired by the Pope to involve the global prison population in the Jubilee of hope.
On 29 December the door of San Giovanni in Laterano was opened, that of Santa Maria Maggiore on 1 January and finally that of San Paolo fuori le mura on 5 January.

How does the rite of opening the Holy Door take place?

In the past the Pope gave a blow with a gavel to a partially smashed door before the celebration and the workers completed the demolition. For safety reasons, Pope John Paul II decided to streamline the rite so as to make the door clear in advance and leave the Pope only the task of pushing the doors.

The opening of the Holy Door during the Jubilee symbolizes the passage that every Christian must make from sin to grace.

The Holy Doors in the World

In the world there are other Holy Doors granted by the Pope through which it is possible to receive the plenary indulgence. Among these we mention the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio in L'Aquila, the basilica-cathedral of Notre-Dame de Québec, the cathedral of Atri and the holy door in New Delhi.

During the Extraordinary Jubilee of 2015, Pope Francis granted the opening of the Holy Door also in cathedral churches and allowed dioceses to establish Holy Doors.