When is a Door Not Just a Door? When It’s a ‘Holy Door’

By Published on December 8, 2015

What is a Holy Door?

A Porta Sancta (Holy Door) is a special door in a cathedral or basilica that is only opened during Jubilee Years. Traditionally, the Holy Door is the one in St. Peter’s Basilica. Following a Jubilee Year, it is sealed with brick and mortar and not opened until the next Jubilee Year. Workers have already begun the process of Unwalling the Holy Door at Saint Peter’s Basilica for next week’s ceremony.

When is a Holy Door opened?

Usually, this should be every 25 years. Pius XII opened the door in 1950 and Paul VI in 1975, but St. John Paul II opened it in early, in 1983, and again in 2000. It may also be opened during “extraordinary” years, as was the case in 1983 and again this year. Pope Francis will inaugurate the 2016 Jubilee Year of Mercy by opening the door on December 8th, 2015. It will remain open for the entire Year, closing again on November 20, 2016. The date of December 8th was chosen because it is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, and marks the fiftieth anniversary of closing of the Second Vatican Council.

Where are the other doors?

The other major Roman basilicas each have a Holy Door, which will be opened in the following weeks. St. John Lateran will be opened on December 13th, Third Sunday of Advent, while the doors of St. Mary Major and Saint Paul Outside the Walls will be opened on subsequent Sundays.

In Misericordiae Vultus, the bull announcing the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis offers something new: a bishop has permission to designate a door in his diocese as a Holy Door.

Read the article “When is a Door Not Just a Door? When It’s a ‘Holy Door’” on aleteia.org.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Like the article? Share it with your friends! And use our social media pages to join or start the conversation! Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, MeWe and Gab.

Inspiration
The Scarcity Mindset
Robert Morris
More from The Stream
Connect with Us