By Vatican News
On the occasion of the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, on Jan 6 2026, Pope Leo XIV will close the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica, the last still open among the papal basilicas of Rome, thereby formally concluding the Holy Year, which began on Dec 24 2024.
The closing of the door leaves
In continuity with the practice established beginning in 1975—and further simplified by Saint John Paul II during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000—the rite, which will begin at 9.30 am, no longer includes the public walling-up of the door, but is limited to the closing of the door leaves.
The Pope will recite the prayer of thanksgiving for the Ordinary Holy Year. The formula prescribed by the rite states: “This Holy Door is closed, but the door of Your mercy is not closed,” and continues with an invocation that the “treasures” of divine grace may remain open, “so that, at the end of our earthly pilgrimage, we may knock with confidence at the door of Your house and enjoy the fruits of the tree of life.”
Subsequently, while the antiphon “O clavis David” is sung, the Pope will approach the Holy Door. He will step onto the threshold, kneel, and, after a moment of silent prayer, will personally close the two great bronze door leaves. This gesture underscores that the Jubilee time comes to an end, while God’s mercy always remains open.
Immediately following the closing of the Holy Door, the Pope will preside over the Holy Mass for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord inside St Peter’s Basilica.
The subsequent walling-up
The actual walling-up of the Holy Door will take place only at a later time, in private, approximately ten days afterward, through a specific rite of walling-up overseen by the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff.
The technicians of the Fabric of St Peter’s—the so-called sampietrini (in the other papal basilicas, technicians of the Governorate of Vatican City State)—will construct the brick wall inside the Basilica to seal the Holy Door.
During the rite, the traditional metal capsule (capsis) will be placed within the wall. It contains the official record of the closing, the coins minted during the Jubilee Year, and the keys of the Holy Door. – Vatican News
