Holy years, jubilees, and pilgrimages in the Christian tradition.

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The so-called holy years, or jubilees, are very special times of grace, forgiveness, and spiritual renewal. Both in the Christian tradition and in the ancient Hebrew tradition. Throughout history, they have been marked by massive pilgrimages, important papal decisions, calendar reforms, and, of course, a strong search for reconciliation with God and with one's neighbor. In Santiago de Compostela, in Rome, and even in some specific cities like Galdar in the Canary Islands, these periods have taken on their own forms and well-defined rules, but all maintain the same heart: to offer a powerful time of mercy and conversion.

Today, when people talk about a Holy Year, many immediately think of the Jubilee in Rome or the Holy Year of St. James in Compostela.with its holy doors, plenary indulgences, and thousands of pilgrims. However, the history of holy years is much older, dating back to the biblical practice of the Jubilee described in the book of Leviticus. From this Hebrew matrix, the Catholic Church has shaped, over the centuries, a jubilee calendar that includes ordinary (cyclical) and extraordinary (linked to special events) jubilees, with a rich web of traditions, symbols, and historical events.

The Jubilee in Hebrew tradition: the Year of Yōbēl

Among the ancient Hebrews, the Jubilee was known as the year of yōbēl, a term linked to the goat's horn used to announce the festival.This horn, sounded solemnly, marked the beginning of a year declared holy, a true watershed moment in the social, economic, and religious life of the people of Israel.

According to the book of Leviticus (Lev 25:8-13), the Jubilee was to occur every 50 years., concluding a cycle of seven weeks of years (seven times seven years). This Holy Year had a very clear objective: to restore justice and equality among the children of Israel and to profoundly renew their relationship with God.

During the Hebrew Jubilee, debts were forgiven and lands that had been leased or sold out of necessity were returned to their original owners.The logic was simple and, at the same time, revolutionary: the land ultimately belongs to God, and no one should lose their piece of land forever because of poverty or temporary difficulties.

Another central point of the biblical Jubilee was the liberation of Hebrew slaves.Those who had sold themselves into slavery because of debt or poverty were returning to freedom, reinforcing the idea that God's people should not live in permanent oppression. It was a time of "new beginnings" for families, a kind of spiritual, social, and economic reset.

The earth itself was also called to rest during this jubilee period....without cultivation, as an ecological pause to recover its strength. This combination of debt forgiveness, return of property, liberation of slaves, and rest for the land made the Hebrew Jubilee a great program of social justice and reconciliation with God and creation.

Origin and evolution of Holy Years in the Catholic Church

In the Christian era, the tradition of Holy Years officially began in the year 1300 in Rome, with the first Jubilee proclaimed by Pope Boniface VIII.This jubilee arose in a context of great religious and cultural effervescence in Europe, marked by the growth of cities and the flourishing of universities. of Gothic cathedrals, of polyphony, of literature and of the visual arts.

At that time, crowds of pilgrims flocked to the tombs of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Rome....eager to obtain plenary indulgences and to experience a powerful moment of faith. Impressed by this extraordinary influx, Boniface VIII published the bull. Antiquorum habet on February 22, 1300, formally establishing the first Jubilee of the Church.

In that first Holy Year, Romans who visited the basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul thirty times during the year received plenary indulgence.Meanwhile, pilgrims from outside the city were required to make fifteen visits. The Pope's initial idea was to call a Jubilee every 100 years, symbolically linking the Holy Year to the "centenary" of Christ's birth.

In practice, however, a 100-year interval left many generations without the possibility of experiencing a Jubilee.Given the strong popular desire and the spiritual circumstances of the time, the frequency of the Holy Years was adjusted over the following centuries.

As early as 1342, Pope Clement VI reduced the interval to 50 years.Responding to a petition from the Romans, the second Jubilee in history was celebrated in 1350. Later, in memory of Christ's 33 years of life, Pope Urban VI attempted to establish a 33-year cycle and called for a Jubilee in 1390, which was effectively celebrated by Boniface IX after Urban's death.

In 1400, at the end of the previously established fifty years, Boniface IX confirmed the pardon granted to those who had made pilgrimages to Rome., keeping the jubilee tradition alive. In 1423, Martin V celebrated a new jubilee, and in 1450 Pope Nicholas V was the last to observe a Jubilee with a 50-year interval.

The decisive change came with Paul II, who decreed a 25-year interjubilee period.In 1475, the model that remains to this day was thus established: an ordinary Jubilee every 25 years, a practice consolidated by Sixtus IV, who presided over the Holy Year called by Paul II. Since then, whenever possible, ordinary Jubilees have followed a stable cadence.

However, it was not always possible to maintain this pace.The Napoleonic Wars, for example, prevented the celebration of the Jubilees of 1800 and 1850. Only in 1875, under Pius IX, did the Church return to celebrating a complete Holy Year, already in the context of the annexation of Rome to the Kingdom of Italy, although without the same solemnity as in previous times.

Ordinary and Extraordinary Jubilees: A Historical Overview

Throughout history, the Catholic Church has celebrated both ordinary Holy Years, scheduled every 25 years, and extraordinary jubilees., convened on very special occasions. Each of these Jubilees had a context and, often, distinctive characteristics.

Among the most important ordinary Jubilees, we can mention the classic sequence that began in 1300.Boniface VIII (1300), Clement VI (1350), the jubilee of 1390 (proclaimed by Urban VI and presided over by Boniface IX) and that of 1400 (Boniface IX). In 1423, Martin V celebrated a new Holy Year, followed by Nicholas V in 1450.

With the new 25-year cycle, the series of Holy Years continued in 1475 (proclaimed by Paul II and presided over by Sixtus IV), 1500 (Alexander VI), 1525 (Clement VII), and 1550 (proclaimed by Paul III and presided over by Julius III)., 1575 (Gregory XIII), 1600 (Clement VIII), 1625 (Urban VIII) and 1650 (Innocent X).

In the 17th century, this sequence continued with the Jubilee of 1675 (Clement X) and that of 1700., opened by Innocent XII and closed by Clement XI. In 1725, the Holy Year of Benedict XIII was celebrated, followed by Benedict XIV in 1750, which would become famous as the Jubilee of Preachers.

The Jubilee of 1750, convoked by Benedict XIV by the bull. Pilgrims to Domino, became known for the intense preaching of Saint Leonard of Port MauriceHe carried out great missionary work and erected no fewer than 572 crosses, including one in the Colosseum, in memory of Christian martyrs. Benedict XIV also instituted the traditional Stations of the Cross in the Colosseum, a practice that continues to this day, especially on Good Friday.

After 1750, the Jubilees of 1775 (Clement XIV, presided over by Pius VI), 1825 (Leo XII), 1875 (Pius IX), 1900 (Leo XIII), 1925 (Pius XI), 1950 (Pius XII), 1975 (Paul VI) and 2000 (Saint John Paul II) followed.During certain periods, such as between 1800 and 1850, there was no Jubilee due to wars and political instability, but the tradition was not lost.

In addition to the ordinary Holy Years, the Church also holds extraordinary jubilees in special circumstances.In 1933, Pius XI proclaimed an extraordinary Jubilee to mark the 1900th anniversary of the Redemption. In 1983, John Paul II convened another extraordinary Holy Year. In 2015, Pope Francis instituted the Jubilee of Mercy through the bull Mercy Vultus, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council.

The Jubilee of 1950, known as the Jubilee of the Great Return and Forgiveness, was particularly significant in the postwar period.Proclaimed by Pius XII with the bull Jubilaeum MaximumHe invited the faithful to turn to God with contrite hearts, asking for peace for a world wounded by conflict. One of the high points of this Holy Year was the definition of the dogma of the Assumption of Mary, proclaimed in St. Peter's Square before about half a million faithful.

The Great Jubilee of 2000 celebrated the two thousandth anniversary of the Incarnation of Christ.Proclaimed by Saint John Paul II with the bull Incarnationis Mysterium In 1998, it was accompanied by profound symbolic gestures, such as a public request for forgiveness for the historical sins committed by Christians and a special remembrance of the martyrs of the 20th century.

The Jubilee of Mercy in 2015 was uniquely characterized by the opening of "doors of mercy" in cathedrals, sanctuaries, hospitals, and prisons worldwide.It was therefore not limited to Rome, but spread the jubilee sign of welcome and forgiveness throughout all dioceses, reinforcing the central theme of Francis's pontificate: a Church that goes forth, marked by mercy.

Spiritual and practical meaning of the Holy Year.

Every 25 years, when an Ordinary Holy Year is celebrated, the Church offers the faithful a special time of conversion and spiritual growth.This is a time recognized by the Magisterium as particularly propitious for obtaining spiritual benefits, including plenary indulgence, linked to certain conditions and practices of faith.

The Jubilee is seen as a "favorable time," a true "year of the Lord's favor.", recalling the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke (cf. Lk 4:20). During this period, Christians are invited to a serious examination of life and conscience, seeking sacramental reconciliation, reparation for wrongs committed, and concrete acts of charity.

In practice, the Holy Year is an invitation to intensify prayer, participation in the Eucharist, confession, works of mercy, and commitment to justice.In Rome and other Jubilee venues, passing through the Holy Door has a very strong symbolic meaning: crossing the door represents entering in a renewed way into the life of Christ, leaving sin behind and opening oneself to grace.

The theme chosen for the 2025 Jubilee, "Pilgrims of Hope," aptly expresses this horizon.The idea is to rekindle a hope that doesn't spring from passing events, but from God himself. The Holy Year aims to reignite confidence amidst the world's crises, encouraging Christians to live as living signs of hope in their daily lives.

Beyond the personal dimension, the Jubilee also has a community and social impact.By promoting forgiveness, reconciliation, and justice, it points to the need to transform human relationships marked by hatred, inequality, or revenge. Just as in the biblical Jubilee social structures were "readjusted," today the Holy Year challenges the Church and society to review structures of sin and exclusion.

The Holy Year of Compostela or Jacobean Jubilee

Besides Rome, one of the most famous Holy Years in the Christian world is the Compostela Jubilee, also called the Jacobean Holy Year.He is celebrated in the city of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, when the feast of Saint James the Apostle (July 25) falls on a Sunday.

The institution of the Holy Year of Compostela dates back to the 12th century.Pope Callixtus II, who before becoming pope had made a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela when he was archbishop of Vienne, France, played a fundamental role in this process. On February 27, 1120, by the bull Omnipotent DispositionHe elevated Santiago de Compostela to the dignity of a metropolitan see, transferring the metropolis of Mérida there, in accordance with the wishes of Diego Gelmírez, the first archbishop of the Compostela archdiocese, and with the support of Alfonso VII of León.

In 1122, while the last stone of the Cathedral of Santiago was being laid, Calixtus II granted the privilege of regularly celebrating the Holy Year of St. James starting in 1126., on the condition that St. James's Day fell on a Sunday. The intention was that in Compostela one could obtain the same spiritual graces that were granted in Rome during jubilee years, which were then held every 25 years.

This privilege was confirmed and expanded by later pontiffs, such as Eugene III, Anastasius IV, and Alexander III.This last one, in the leaflet. Regis aeterniThe decree, dated July 25, 1178, declared the perpetual nature of the privilege and equated the benefices of Compostela with those of Rome and Jerusalem. This equation extraordinarily boosted medieval pilgrimages along the Way of St. James, coming from all over Europe.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Holy Year of St. James maintained a curious cadence, described by the pattern 6, 5, 6, 11., which signifies the interval in years between one Holy Year and the next. This cadence is explained by the combination of the seven-day week cycle and the presence of leap years in the calendar.

If leap years did not exist, a Holy Year of St. James would occur every seven years.However, since years that are multiples of 100 are only leap years when they are also multiples of 400, intervals of seven or twelve years arise in the transition between centuries. This happened, for example, with the Gregorian reform of 1582 and will be repeated in subsequent centuries in non-leap centennial years.

In the 20th and 21st centuries, there were 28 Holy Years of St. James, following the pattern of intervals 6, 5, 6, 11.Among other years, they were celebrated in 1909, 1915, 1920, 1926, 1937-1938 (the latter with an extraordinary extension due to the Spanish Civil War), 1943, 1948, 1954, 1965, 1971, 1976, 1982, 1993, 1999, 2004 and 2010.

The Holy Year of 2021, falling on a Sunday again, was also a Holy Year of St. James and had a particular historical significance.The Jubilee was extended throughout 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. This was the second time in history that the Jacobean Jubilee was prolonged for two consecutive years, repeating the precedent of 1937-1938, when Pope Pius XI granted the request of the prelate of Compostela, Tomás Muniz de Pablos.

During a Holy Year of St. James, pilgrims arriving in Santiago can pass through the Holy Door (Door of Forgiveness) of the Cathedral. To obtain plenary indulgence, one must fulfill the usual conditions prescribed by the Church (confession, communion, prayer for the Pope's intentions, detachment from sin). Throughout the Holy Year, the lantern of the Berenguela Tower remains lit as a beacon visible from a distance, spiritually guiding pilgrims towards the sanctuary.

Interestingly, the celebration of the Holy Year of St. James is not limited to Compostela.Other locations, such as the city of Gáldar in the Canary Islands, have also received the privilege from the Holy See to celebrate the Holy Year of St. James. In 1965, Paul VI granted this grace through a papal bull, and in 1993 John Paul II made the privilege perpetual, reinforcing the spiritual bond of these communities with the apostle St. James.

How is a Holy Year of St. James determined and what is its impact on pilgrimages?

From a technical point of view, a year is considered Jacobean if it is a common year that begins on a Friday or a leap year that begins on a Thursday.Except for extraordinary extensions, such as in 1938 and 2022. In terms of dominical letters, the year must have the letter C or DC.

This combination of the civil calendar and the liturgical calendar explains why the Holy Years of Compostela do not follow a simple fixed interval.The influence of leap years and the rules of the Gregorian calendar (especially in secular years that are not multiples of 400) causes variations in the spacing between Holy Years.

In the 21st century, for example, the sequence of Holy Years of St. James extends until 2094.Starting in 2100, 2200, and 2300—which will not be leap years—the cadence will change. The last Holy Year of St. James of the 21st century will be in 2094, and the first of the 22nd century will only come in 2106, twelve years later. After that, the pattern of 6, 5, 6, 11 between the dates will return.

Beyond the calendar calculations, the spiritual and cultural impact of the Holy Year of St. James is enormous.Each Holy Year brings a significant increase in the flow of pilgrims along the Camino de Santiago, revitalizing ancient routes, villages, churches, and hostels. Many people, including non-practicing pilgrims, see the pilgrimage as an opportunity for pause, reflection, reconnection with themselves, and openness to transcendence.

Official websites such as those of the Camino de Santiago in Galicia, the Cathedral of Santiago itself, and initiatives like Xacobeo. They disseminate information about stages, welcoming, liturgical celebrations, and cultural activities related to the Holy Year. Pilgrim blogs, materials about the... Codex Calixtino (also called Liber Sancti IacobiStudies on the symbolism of the Christian temple help to deepen the spiritual meaning of this experience.

In many recent Holy Years, such as 1993, 1999, 2004, 2010, and the extended 2021-2022 cycle, there has been strong investment in infrastructure and cultural promotion.This reinforces the Camino de Santiago as a true "spiritual corridor" and, at the same time, a living historical and cultural heritage that continues to attract people from all over the world.

The Compostela model also inspired other parishes dedicated to Saint James, such as the Parish Church of the Apostle James in Los Realejos and the Parish Church of Gáldar.In these communities, the spirit of the Holy Year is expressed in local celebrations, specific indulgences, and a rediscovery of the figure of the apostle as a pilgrim and witness of faith.

Considering this entire journey—from the biblical Jubilee to the Holy Year in Rome, passing through the Compostela Jubilee and the extraordinary jubilees of recent centuries—the Holy Years reveal an impressive capacity to unite ancient tradition and modernity.They reclaim the idea of ​​justice and social liberation present in Leviticus, updating it within the sacramental and spiritual framework of the Church, and at the same time, mobilizing entire cultures, cities, and paths around an experience of pilgrimage, hope, and mercy that continues to speak deeply to the human heart.