--- title: "What exactly is a Holy Year" description: "The 6-5-6-11 cycle behind Compostela Holy Years, the plenary indulgence explained honestly, and what happened during the extraordinary 2021-2022 Xacobeo." url: https://santiago.es/en/xacobeo-2027/holy-year locale: en --- # What exactly is a Holy Year Xacobeo 2027 · The Holy Year It's not an anniversary or a marketing campaign — it's a date fixed by the liturgical calendar, with a concrete indulgence behind it. Here's what the Xacobeo actually means. ![Certificado Compostela en latín, con orla medieval, la imagen del apóstol Santiago y el sello del Cabildo de la Catedral](https://santiago.es/img/compostela.jpg) [© Lameiro · CC BY-SA 4.0](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Compostela_2018.jpg) By [Cesar Rodriguez](https://santiago.es/en/author) · updated 30 August 2026 Updated 31 July 2026. A Compostela Holy Year — the Xacobeo — happens whenever 25 July, the feast of Saint James, falls on a Sunday. It's a simple rule with an irregular effect on the calendar: since Sundays don't land evenly across years, the gap between one Xacobeo and the next varies. Here's how that cycle works, what the plenary indulgence actually requires, and why the last Holy Year didn't follow the usual script. ## The irregular cycle: 6, 5, 6 and 11 years 25 July rotates through the days of the week in a pattern that, with the adjustments of the Gregorian calendar, doesn't distribute Sundays evenly across the years. The practical result is a cycle of **6, 5, 6 and 11-year** gaps between Holy Years. After 2027, the next ones fall in 2032 (+5), 2038 (+6) and 2049 (+11). **Compostela Holy Year cycle** | Year | Gap from the previous one | Note | | --- | --- | --- | | 2027 | +6 years from 2021 (extraordinary cycle) | Next Xacobeo. Holy Door open from 31 Dec 2026. | | 2032 | +5 years | Next in the regular cycle. | | 2038 | +6 years | Next in the regular cycle. | | 2049 | +11 years | The longest gap in the cycle. | ## The plenary indulgence: what it actually requires The plenary indulgence is the central element of the Holy Year: the full remission of the temporal punishment due for sins already forgiven, which the Catholic Church grants under specific conditions. According to the Archdiocese of Santiago, obtaining it during the Xacobeo requires four things: 1. Sacramental confession, roughly within fifteen days before or after the visit. 2. Receiving Communion. 3. Prayer for the Pope's intentions. 4. Visiting the Apostle's tomb in the [Cathedral](https://santiago.es/en/what-to-see/cathedral) and praying there (a Creed is enough). What you don't need to do Crossing the Holy Door and attending the [noon pilgrim's mass](https://santiago.es/en/what-to-see/cathedral/mass-times) are recommended, symbolic gestures — but they're not requirements for the indulgence. Neither is walking the [Camino](https://santiago.es/en/camino-de-santiago): anyone who meets the four conditions above can obtain it, whether they arrive on foot, by car, or already live in Santiago. The indulgence can also be applied to the deceased. ## The Xacobeo that broke the pattern: 2021-2022 The theoretical cycle said that after the 2010 Holy Year, the next "normal" one should arrive in 2021. It did — sort of. The COVID-19 pandemic led the Church to an unprecedented decision: extend the Holy Year on an extraordinary basis into 2022 as well, so it could be experienced with the normality that 2021 didn't allow. In practice, there was a double Xacobeo, 2021-2022, with the Holy Door open for twenty-four straight months instead of twelve. The numbers show how atypical the period was: in 2021, with mobility restrictions in place for much of the year, only 178,912 pilgrims arrived — a low figure for a Holy Year. In 2022, once the harshest limits were lifted, that jumped to 438,308: almost two and a half times more. 2027, with the calendar back on track, is the first Holy Year celebrated under normal conditions since 2019. ## A little recent history, in numbers To get a sense of what a Holy Year usually means for pilgrim numbers, it helps to look at the last few: **Pilgrims in recent Holy Years** | Year | Pilgrims | Context | | --- | --- | --- | | 2004 | 179,944 | Holy Year. | | 2010 | 272,135 | Holy Year. | | 2021 | 178,912 | Extraordinary Holy Year, in the middle of the pandemic. | | 2022 | 438,308 | Pandemic extension of the Holy Year. | None of those Holy Years started from a base like today's: 2025 closed with 530,987 pilgrims, without even being a Holy Year — the full breakdown is on our [Camino statistics page](https://santiago.es/en/camino-de-santiago/pilgrim-statistics). That's the reference point worth keeping in mind when thinking about what 2027 could bring. ## Frequently asked questions **When is a Compostela Holy Year celebrated?** Whenever 25 July, the feast of Saint James, falls on a Sunday. It follows an irregular cycle of 6, 5, 6 and 11 years; the next one is 2027. **What is the plenary indulgence of the Xacobeo?** The full remission of temporal punishment for sins already forgiven, obtained by confessing roughly within fifteen days of the visit, receiving Communion, praying for the Pope's intentions, and visiting the Apostle's tomb in the Cathedral. **Do you have to cross the Holy Door to get the indulgence?** No. Crossing the Holy Door and attending the noon pilgrim's mass are recommended gestures, but they're not official requirements for the plenary indulgence. **Why were 2021 and 2022 both Holy Years?** Because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Church extended the 2021 Holy Year into 2022 on an extraordinary basis, to make up for the restrictions that prevented it being lived normally. ## Keep reading **[History and the opening ceremony](https://santiago.es/en/xacobeo-2027/holy-door)** — The Holy Door — The 27 figures on the portico and how the 31 December opening unfolds, step by step. — Read the guide **[When to visit in 2027](https://santiago.es/en/xacobeo-2027/when-to-visit)** — Plan your trip — Month by month: expected pressure and when to book before prices climb. — Read the guide **[Xacobeo 2027: the complete guide](https://santiago.es/en/xacobeo-2027)** — Back to the hub — Key dates, what to expect, and everything the city is preparing for the Holy Year. — Read the guide