BLOG · Italy2Love Magazine Guide
Jubilee 2025 in Rome: How the Holy Year Went and What Comes Next
The Jubilee 2025 in Rome opened on December 24, 2024 and closed on January 6, 2026, with about 33.5 million pilgrims. How the Holy Year went and what it means for a visit now.
Updated September 2026. The Jubilee 2025 is over; we rewrote this page to record how it went and what it means for a visit to Rome now.
The Jubilee 2025 is over. The Holy Year opened on December 24, 2024, when Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, and it closed on January 6, 2026, when Pope Leo XIV closed it again. About 33.5 million pilgrims from 185 countries passed through Rome for it, according to the figures reported at the closing.
The Jubilee 2025 at a glance
| Opened | December 24, 2024, by Pope Francis, at St. Peter’s Basilica |
| Closed | January 6, 2026, by Pope Leo XIV, at St. Peter’s Basilica |
| Pilgrims | About 33.5 million, from 185 countries |
| Holy Doors | St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major and St. Paul Outside the Walls |
| Next ordinary Jubilee | 2050 |
What is a Jubilee?
A Jubilee, or Holy Year, is a year of pilgrimage and forgiveness in the Catholic Church. Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed the first in 1300. Ordinary Jubilees now follow a 25-year cycle, and a pope can also proclaim an extraordinary one: the most recent before 2025 were the Great Jubilee of 2000 and Pope Francis’s Jubilee of Mercy in 2015 and 2016.
The symbol of every Jubilee is the Holy Door. Each of Rome’s four papal basilicas has one, opened at the start of the Holy Year and closed at the end. Pilgrims who pass through it and meet the conditions set by the Church, confession, communion and prayer for the pope’s intentions, can receive the Jubilee indulgence.
A Holy Year with two popes
The Jubilee 2025, dedicated to hope, opened under Pope Francis, who died on April 21, 2025. Pope Leo XIV, elected on May 8, 2025, led the rest of the year and closed it. It is not the first time: Innocent XII opened the Jubilee of 1700 and Clement XI closed it.
When is the next Jubilee?
On the 25-year cycle, the next ordinary Jubilee is due in 2050. A pope can proclaim an extraordinary Jubilee at any time, and the Vatican would announce it well in advance.
Visiting Rome’s basilicas now
The Holy Doors are closed until the next Jubilee, but the four papal basilicas, St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major and St. Paul Outside the Walls, are open to visitors as usual. Without the Jubilee crowds, it is a good moment to see them. At the Vatican, pair St. Peter’s with a Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel tour; for the ancient city, compare the Colosseum tours.
If you are coming for the Christmas season, when the pope celebrates the main liturgies of the year, see our guide to Christmas in Rome. For quieter days out of the city, the countryside of Ciociaria and Tuscia is close by, and the Rome travel guide covers the rest.
Sources: opening and closing dates, pilgrim figures and the 1700 precedent as reported by Il Post on January 6, 2026. Checked in September 2026.
Where to stay
Planning to spend the night in Rome? Book a central base and you will lose less time in transit, especially if you start early. Not sure which area to pick? Our guide to where to stay in Rome compares the best areas.
Affiliate links: if you book through them, Italy2Love earns a commission at no extra cost to you.
Compare places to stay in Rome →Frequently asked questions
When did the Jubilee 2025 end?
On January 6, 2026, when Pope Leo XIV closed the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica. It had opened on December 24, 2024, under Pope Francis.
How many pilgrims came to Rome for the Jubilee 2025?
About 33.5 million pilgrims from 185 countries, according to the figures reported when the Holy Year closed.
When is the next Jubilee in Rome?
Ordinary Jubilees follow a 25-year cycle, so the next one is due in 2050. A pope can also proclaim an extraordinary Jubilee at any time, as Pope Francis did in 2015 to 2016.
Can you still walk through the Holy Door?
No. The four papal basilicas closed their Holy Doors at the end of the Jubilee, and they stay closed until the next one. The basilicas themselves remain open to visitors.
Book it: experiences for this trip
Matched to this article by place and interest, then ordered by Viator rating and number of reviews (checked September 2026). Prices and availability are shown live on Viator.
Keep exploring Italy