HOLY DOOR – HISTORICAL NOTES

HISTORICAL NOTES

The Holy Door is the door of a basilica that is walled up to be opened only on the occasion of a jubilee.

The first holy door created in the history of Christianity is that of the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio in L’Aquila: the church was founded in 1288 at the behest of Pope Celestine V, who was crowned pope here on 29 August 1294, and is considered the maximum expression of Abruzzo architecture, as well as the symbol of the city, and was declared a national monument in 1902. Since 1327 it has housed the remains of pontiff, currently preserved inside the mausoleum of Celestine V, built in 1517 by Girolamo Pittoni, master of Andrea Palladio. An annual jubilee is held here, the first in history, established with the Bull of Forgiveness of 29 September 1294, today known by the name of Celestinian Pardon and classified by UNESCO among the oral and intangible heritage of humanity; therefore the basilica is characterized by the presence of a Holy Door on the side façade.

There is certain information about the rite of opening the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica starting from 1500 with Pope Alexander VI.

• St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican: the door is a work by the sculptor Vico Consorti, created at the Ferdinando Marinelli Artistic Foundry in Florence.
• Basilica of San Paolo Outside the Walls: created by the sculptor Antonio Maraini.
• Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano: work of the sculptor Floriano Bodini.
• Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore: designed by the Bolognese sculptor Luigi Enzo Mattei.