The Holy Door: history and the opening ceremony

Updated 13 August 2026.

The Holy Door, also called the Door of Forgiveness, is the only door of the Cathedral that stays closed almost all the time: it only opens during Holy Years. It sits in the wall facing Praza da Quintana, on the Cathedral's rear façade, and crossing it during the Xacobeo is one of the most symbolically loaded gestures of the whole pilgrimage — though, as explained in the Holy Year guide, it isn't actually a requirement for the plenary indulgence.

Origins: an idea borrowed from Rome

The tradition of a holy door in Santiago dates back to the first half of the 16th century, under Archbishop Alonso III de Fonseca. The idea didn't originate in Galicia: it was directly inspired by the holy door Pope Alexander VI had instituted in Rome in 1500, within the tradition of Roman jubilees. Santiago adapted that same idea — a door that stays sealed and is only opened in designated years — to its own Jacobean calendar.

The 27 figures of the Holy Door

The exterior baroque portico, built in the 17th century, is the most recognisable part of the ensemble: twenty-four sculptures — twelve on each side — flank the door, several of them taken from the Cathedral's demolished 12th-century Romanesque stone choir. Around 1694, three more figures were added by sculptor Pedro del Campo: Santiago as a pilgrim in the centre, flanked by his disciples Teodoro and Atanasio. That total of twenty-four plus three gives the ensemble its popular name: "the 27 of the Holy Door."

The bronze leaves, by Suso León

The bronze-and-steel door leaves opened every Holy Year are relatively recent: they were installed in 2004, made by Compostela sculptor Suso León, and weigh around 300 kg each. They were funded with the support of some thirty local businesses. The outer face depicts Christ and Santiago in prayer; the inner face, seen when crossing into the Cathedral, shows six reliefs illustrating the Jacobean tradition.

The opening ceremony, step by step

The 31 December 2026 opening follows a ritual repeated, with minor variations, at every Holy Year. Roughly, here's what happens:

1. The ceremony takes place in Praza da Quintana, in front of the door, at midday. Watch this one, because the time changed on 24 September 2026: at the Holy Year presentation the Cathedral’s dean announced the opening moves to midday, “around five hours earlier than usual in recent Holy Years”. No exact time has been given, and the Cathedral’s liturgical calendar still publishes 5 pm, the time that had been circulating for months (2020 started at 4:30 pm).
2. The Archbishop of Santiago, Francisco José Prieto Fernández — in office since June 2023 — strikes three times with a silver hammer and opens the door with a key. Here is the change hardly anyone reports: no wall is knocked down any more. At earlier Holy Years a stone wall was built behind the door for the Archbishop to bring down with one blow, and that is the image still doing the rounds; at the opening on 31 December 2020 it was not built at all, to keep dust out of the freshly restored Cathedral, and the Archbishop struck the door itself before unlocking it. The Cabildo has not published the ceremonial for 31 December 2026, so we cannot say for certain what will happen this time, but work on the Capilla Mayor starts on 16 October 2026 and the 2020 reason still holds.
3. A group of priests clean the threshold with olive branches and holy water.
4. The Archbishop is the first to cross the threshold, followed by everyone else present.

Watch the video · 12:11: Apertura de la Puerta Santa de la Catedral de Santiago (31 diciembre de 2020)

From that moment, the door stays open for the following 365 days, until it closes in an equivalent ceremony on 31 December 2027 — exactly how it will be closed we have not been able to confirm, and we explain why further down. Stepping through it puts you directly in the Cathedral's transept, the same spot the botafumeiro hangs from. It is not swinging right now, though: it has been grounded since 24 August 2026 by the cimborrio scaffolding, with no return date. See where that stands and when it normally flies.

The closing, a year later

On 31 December 2027, the reverse ceremony takes place: the door is closed until the next Holy Year, which — barring an exceptional change like the one in 2021-22 — won't arrive until 2032. How it will be closed we could not confirm: the permanent wall disappeared years ago and what went up after that was a temporary one, so saying it is "sealed again with masonry" would be repeating what used to be done. There is no source on the 2027 closing. For everything else about visiting the Cathedral — hours, tickets and the ongoing restoration works — see the Cathedral guide.