In the midst of plague, war, and material hardship, it wasn’t easy to travel to Rome on pilgrimage. But the Christian faithful felt that they needed to amend their lives and seek God’s blessing in the midst of the trials they faced. And so they traveled to Rome. Thousands of pilgrims came at Christmas 1299, asking for God’s blessing and the protection of the Apostles. Inspired by their faith, the Holy Father called a year “of forgiveness of all sins” for 1300. Special graces were attached to visiting the tombs of Sts. Peter and Paul.
During this first Jubilee Year, pilgrims included the artists Giotto and Cimabue, the brother of the King of France, Carlo de Valois, and Dante. In fact, Dante’s Divine Comedy is said to take place during this Holy Year.
How often do Jubilee Years occur?
It depends!
While the Old Testament Jubilee years under the Mosaic Law were every 50 years, Boniface VIII originally declared Jubilee years would take place every 100 years. It didn’t take long for this to be shortened to 50 years–in fact the second Jubilee was held in 1350. The Romans hoped that this meant Pope Clement VI would return to Rome from Avignon, but he did not. The 50 years was later shortened to 33 (to honor the traditional number of years Christ lived on this earth), then to 25. The shortening of the time frame was so that more people could participate in a jubilee year in their lifetime.
In addition to the “ordinary” Jubilees that occur every 25 years, a Pope can call an “extraordinary” Holy Year whenever he feels there is a strong need for peace and grace. For example, Pius XI called an Extraordinary Jubilee in 1933 to commemorate the 19th centenary of human redemption. Pope John Paul II called an Extraordinary Jubilee in 1983 for the 1950th anniversary of human redemption. Pope Francis called an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy from December 8, 2015-November 20 2016.
We don’t know when the next extraordinary Jubilee may be announced. But we know when the next ordinary one is happening: next year!
You can find out more about many of the Holy Years in Verso’s Ultimate Guide, available free here.
Interested in going on pilgrimage to Rome for the Jubilee? Join us! You can find more information here.
