The Holy Door

The Holy Door, known in Latin as Porta Sancta , is a special doorway that is opened only during a Jubilee Year, which normally occurs every twenty-five years, or on extraordinary occasions proclaimed by the Church.

At the beginning of a Jubilee Year, the Pope personally opens the Holy Door by symbolically breaking through the sealed doorway. This solemn act marks the official opening of the Jubilee and welcomes pilgrims from around the world.

About the Jubilee Year

The Jubilee Year, also known as the Holy Year, is a long-standing tradition that dates back to the year 1300, when Pope Boniface VIII first granted pilgrims traveling to Rome the opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence.

Originally celebrated once every one hundred years, the Jubilee was later shortened to every fifty years, and since 1470, it has been officially observed every twenty-five years.

The ritual of opening the Holy Door in the old days

In the past, the Holy Door was sealed by a solid wall rather than an actual doorway. When a Jubilee began, this “Holy Door wall” was broken through, and at the conclusion of the Jubilee Year, it was sealed again. The wall was usually constructed from the inside of the basilica.

At the opening of the Jubilee, the Pope would strike the wall three times with a hammer, marking the sign of the Cross, after which workers would remove the masonry to open the doorway. The hammer and the trowel were the two traditional tools used in this ritual: the Pope struck the wall with the hammer to open the Holy Door and at the end of the Jubilee, he used the trowel symbolically when the wall was rebuilt.

Today, the ritual has been simplified and the wall is no longer demolished. At the appointed moment, the Pope knocks three times on the Holy Door, then places both hands on the heavy bronze doors and gently pushes them open. From inside, assistants help pull the doors fully open.

The Pope then pauses at the threshold of the Holy Door, kneels in prayer, reverently kisses the doorframe, and steps across. As the first to pass through the Holy Door, he leads the way into the basilica.

Passing through the Holy Door brings pilgrims into the central nave of St. Peter’s Basilica, where the Pietà can be seen immediately near the entrance from the Holy Door.