Jubilee’s Holy Doors: At St. Paul, you don’t need to be Catholic to appreciate the history and art

An estimated 35 million people are coming to Rome this year to pass through a door.
Renewal. Forgiveness. Salvation. It’s as if the door leads to a divine place, where the earth’s sins are a distant memory and every day is a lanai chair facing a sunset in paradise.
This door must lead to heaven. Wednesday I passed through that door.
And I wondered what the big deal is.
However, I am not Catholic. I am not religious. As a travel writer, I’ve been up close and personal with Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and, living in Rome the last 11 years, Catholics. I have been to the houses of worship. I have read the histories. I have met the people.
Respecting religions is my blessing. As I passed through the door Wednesday, I looked to my side and saw Marina stopping just inside the doorframe. She crossed herself. Her eyes closed in silent prayer.
She waited 25 years to do this.
We had entered the Holy Door in St. Paul Outside the Walls, one of four Vatican papal basilicas that take center stage during Rome’s Jubilee. Every 25 years the Vatican holds a 13-month celebration of spiritual renewal. Pilgrims come from all over the planet to receive forgiveness and become closer to God.
Each of the four churches – St. Peter’s, St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran as well as St. Paul – has a door that had been sealed shut since 2000 (with the exception of the one-off Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in 2015). On Dec. 24, the first door opened in St. Peter’s. On Jan. 5, St. Paul became the last.

Holy Doors’ significance
According to the Vatican Tickets & Doors website, crossing through these doors, these “sacred portals,” is a journey from sin to grace. It’s “a profound act of faith, an opportunity for renewal, forgiveness and a deeper connection with the divine.”
Marina had gone through three. St. Paul would be her last and she took me along. I’d never been inside St. Paul but passed it dozens of times going to my favorite pizzeria in Rome: 72 Ore.
Its full name is St. Paul Outside the Walls as it was built outside Ancient Rome’s original walls in the 3rd century A.D. It is dedicated to Saint Paul, the founder of the Catholic Church and where he was buried after being decapitated in 67 A.D.

It is deep in the long shadows cast by the popular St. Peter’s and St. John Lateran. St. Paul is in the southern part of Rome, near the Tiber River two miles outside the ancient wall. It’s five miles south of the Vatican and away from the teeming mobs that have turned St. Peter’s seemingly into a Catholic carnival ride.
The arrival
As we pulled up to St. Paul, I braced for a massive mob of pilgrims following tour guides’ ubiquitous little flags.
However, the line through security was empty. On a beautiful sunny day in the low 40s, we looked around and we hardly saw anyone. I wondered if it was closed. As it turns out, the Holy Doors’ crowds I wrote about Dec. 24 haven’t been bad. In fact, you don’t even have to sign up on that special app that gives you a QR code.
Marina said she didn’t stand in line long at the three other churches, let alone download an app.
Then again, St. Paul seemed a world away from St. Peter’s, and not five miles. Despite its roots in the 4th century, St. Paul appears modern. A fire destroyed it in 1823 and it underwent a major reconstruction in the 19th century.

St. Paul’s art
We entered on the gray tiled entryway between manicured hedges. Just past a huge statue of St. Peter holding a giant sword we saw 12 marble columns holding up a spectacular gold and blue mosaic. They depict the Bible’s major prophets – Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel – below a beautiful rural scene from the Holy Land with 12 lambs representing the 12 Apostles. On top is another mosaic showing Christ between Peter and Paul.
It’s the prettiest church facade in Rome. Yes, living in Rome is like living in an outdoor museum.
As the Jubilee approached last month, I thought these famed Holy Doors were hidden down some secret hallway. That they opened into a room only seen by human eyes four times a century. It would be some kind of religious time capsule. After all, the Holy Doors are sealed by mortar and cement from the inside.

In truth, St. Paul’s Holy Door is about 15 meters from the main entrance that’s been open every day for 200 years. The door itself is a work of art. Standing about 20 feet high, the gold bronze door consists of three carved panels illustrating the theme of the Trinity: the unity between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It looks ancient. It isn’t. Milan sculptor Enrico Manfrini created it for the previous Jubilee in 2000.
I studied the figures, of men kneeling before the Holy Spirit, clothed in a long robe and his hand held aloft. Nearby, Marina was lost in a short prayer. Later in a text I asked what walking through these doors meant to her.
“All these religious people who come from every corner of the planet give my city something mystical and solemn,” she wrote in Italian. “As I passed the four doors I felt a strong energy from the thousands of silent prayers recited around me. All this involves me very much.”

Holy Doors’ history
One must be Catholic to feel the power of passing through a door. But you only need to have an interest in history to appreciate the significance. The Jubilee began in 1300 when Pope Boniface VIII established a time for forgiveness and spiritual renewal. It would occur every 50 years, later shortened to 25, and available for all those who complete a remission of sins.
In 1500 Pope Alexander VI established the first Holy Door in St. Peter’s, giving Christians the opportunity to pass from sin to grace. Originally, popes pounded a gavel at a partially smashed door before workers finished the demolition. For safety reasons, it changed to allow the pope to simply push it open.

Inside St. Paul is worth a visit. The largest church in Rome outside St. Peter’s, St. Paul is 131 meters long and features 80 columns. The only item left from the original 4th century structure is the interior portion of the apse with the triumphal arch. All the mosaics in the beautiful dome are all from the restoration.
The church interior’s highlight is a long walk up the aisle. Just before the altar is a little curved staircase leading down to … yes, Saint Paul’s tomb. Behind a block from the original apse is a grilled cover encasing a stone opening. Between the grills you can see the wall that holds the remains of the founder of the Catholic Church.
Saint Paul’s life
Above the tomb is a framed chain of nine rings which symbolizes Saint Paul’s living as a prisoner in Rome for two years. It all happened after his third missionary visit in 57 A.D. when he arrived in Jerusalem and Jews accused him of inviting gentiles into the temple.

An angry mob seized him, had him arrested and sentenced him to Rome where he spent two years under house arrest. During Emperor Nero’s last year in 68 A.D., Saint Paul was beheaded.
Anyone interested in visiting Rome and walking through the doors should check the calendar of events. There are certain dates catering to special interest groups when crowds will be greater than normal. It might be wise to download the app but so far, other than nominal waits, coming without a reservation has not been a problem.
January 22, 2025 @ 12:04 am
Great info as always John.
I’ll have to definitely return this year and do the tour.
January 22, 2025 @ 5:11 pm
Thanks, Robert. Let me know. I’m planning a busy travel schedule this year. Would hate to miss you. We’re having a big balcony party around April 29 for our 10-year anniversary if you want a target date.
January 27, 2025 @ 2:15 pm
how do boomers even exist lol. you’re in for a great wakeup that’s for sure. Since you constantly talk about violence towards trump supporters would you like to meet up?
January 28, 2025 @ 8:14 am
First, I never discussed violence against Trump supporters. Second, I want nothing to do with Trump supporters, especially those who don’t know enough to use proper punctuation.