Finca Anduriñas
Holy Year · Xacobeo 2027Xacobeo Holy Year
2027
On 31 December 2026 the Holy Door of Santiago Cathedral opens and a new Holy Year begins. What it is, the key dates and how to experience it on the Camino.
A jubilee
year
The oldest tradition of the Camino de Santiago.
A Compostelan Holy Year (or Xacobeo) happens when 25 July, the feast of Saint James the Apostle, falls on a Sunday. It happens again in 2027: the first since the 2021-2022 Holy Year, which was extended because of the pandemic.
Tradition traces it back to Pope Callixtus II (1122), and the bull Regis aeterni of Alexander III (1179) confirmed it. Throughout the year the Cathedral's Holy Door stays open and pilgrims can gain the Jubilee. It follows a 6, 5, 6 and 11-year cycle: after 2027, the next one is in 2032.
Key
dates
The Holy Door opens in the evening: the Holy Year begins.
Saint James's Day on a Sunday: the heart of the Holy Year, with the National Offering to the Apostle.
The Holy Door closes and the Holy Year ends.
The next Xacobeo Holy Year, five years later.
How to
prepare
A Holy Year means more pilgrims. With a little planning, the Camino is still yours.
Private hostels and hotels fill up sooner; public albergues cannot be booked, so it pays to arrive early.
July and August will be the busiest months. Spring and autumn bring good weather and more calm.
The Winter Way, the Sanabrés, the Vía de la Plata and the Mozarabic Way are far less crowded than the French Way. All four pass Finca Anduriñas, at Km 24.448.
For the Compostela: the last 100 km on foot (200 by bike) and two stamps a day on that stretch.
Visit the Cathedral, pray for the Pope's intentions, and go to confession and communion around the days of your visit.
A door that
only opens in a Holy Year
The Holy Door is at the east end of the Cathedral, facing the Praza da Quintana. Outside, it is framed by a portico with figures of prophets and apostles; inside, between one Holy Year and the next, it stays walled up.
On the afternoon of 31 December the Archbishop of Santiago strikes the wall with a hammer and it is knocked down: from that moment, whoever crosses the door walks straight into the ambulatory, beside the Apostle's tomb. On the following 31 December it is sealed again until the next Holy Year.
Two different
things
They are often confused, but they are not the same.
A spiritual grace (plenary indulgence) granted by the Church during the Holy Year. You do not need to walk: it is enough to visit the Cathedral, pray, and go to confession and communion in the days around your visit.
The certificate the Pilgrim's Office gives to those who complete the Camino. It requires the last 100 km on foot or on horseback (200 by bike) and two stamps a day on that stretch. It exists every year, not only in Holy Years.
Many pilgrims arrive on foot, collect their Compostela and cross the Holy Door on the same day. In 2027 there will be queues at the Pilgrim's Office and in the Quintana: go early in the morning.
The next
Holy Years
They follow a 6, 5, 6 and 11-year cycle.
- 2027Now
- 20325 years later
- 20386 years later
- 204911 years later
Take the
Holy Year home
The Ano Xacobeo 2027 design by Finca Anduriñas, free and in high resolution.
A pause
on the Camino
If your Holy Year takes you along the Winter Way, the Sanabrés, the Vía de la Plata or the Mozarabic Way, Finca Anduriñas awaits you in A Estrada with a wax seal, shade and something cool, by donation.
Holy Year 2027 in brief
When is the next Xacobeo Holy Year?
In 2027. It begins on 31 December 2026 with the opening of the Holy Door and ends on 31 December 2027, when the door is closed.
Why is 2027 a Holy Year?
Because 25 July 2027, the feast of Saint James the Apostle, falls on a Sunday. That coincidence defines every Compostelan Holy Year.
What is the Holy Door?
A door on the east side of Santiago Cathedral, on Praza da Quintana, which is only opened during Holy Years. Walking through it is one of the gestures of the Jubilee.
How do you gain the Jubilee?
By visiting Santiago Cathedral, praying (the Creed, the Our Father and for the Pope's intentions) and receiving confession and communion in the days before or after the visit.
Does anything change to get the Compostela?
No. The requirements are the same: at least the last 100 km on foot or on horseback, or 200 km by bike, with two stamps a day in your credential on that stretch.
Do I need to walk to obtain the Jubilee?
No. The Jubilee is obtained by visiting Santiago Cathedral during the Holy Year, praying for the Pope's intentions and receiving confession and communion. Walking is required for the Compostela, not for the Jubilee.
When are the next Holy Years?
After 2027 come 2032, 2038 and 2049, the years in which 25 July falls on a Sunday again.