The first known Jubilee year was declared in 1300 by Pope Boniface VIII, but the first use of the Holy Door was probably not until the Jubilee year 1423 when Pope Martin V opened the Holy Door at the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.
Pope Boniface VII intended that the Jubilee year be celebrated only once every hundred years. Nonetheless, Jubilee years were declared in 1350, 1390, and 1400. Pope Urban VI proposed that a Jubilee year be celebrated every 33 years and Pope Nicholas V later proposed that a Jubilee be celebrated every 50 years.
Finally, Pope Paul II changed the frequency of the Jubilee year to every 25 years which is the general rule for celebrating Jubilees and opening the Holy Door today. In addition to the regular Jubilee years, two extraordinary Jubilee years were declared in the 20th century: 1933 for the 1900th anniversary of the Redemption, and in 1983 for the 1950th anniversary of the Redemption.
The third row of panels in the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter depicts:
- The Woman who was a Sinner
- The Need for Forgiveness
- Peter’s Denial
- In Front of the Crucifix; The Good Thief
The Woman who was a Sinner
SOURCE: The Woman who was a Sinner (State of the Vatican City); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 August 2011.
The Need for Forgiveness
SOURCE: The Need for Forgiveness (State of the Vatican City); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 August 2011.
Peter’s Denial
SOURCE: Peter’s Denial (State of the Vatican City); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 August 2011.
In Front of the Crucifix; The Good Thief
SOURCE: In Front of the Crucifix; The Good Thief (State of the Vatican City); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 August 2011.
The posts in this series include:
- The Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter – Part 1 of 4
- The Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter – Part 2 of 4
- The Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter – Part 3 of 4
- The Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter – Part 4 of 4
Copyright © 2011 by Stephen J. Danko
