With the pandemic keeping so many imprisoned in their own homes for months, perhaps there has never been a better year to consider walking the 480 miles Compostela, otherwise known as the Way of St James. A Holy Year in Santiago occurs any time the Memorial of the Martyrdom of St James (25 July) falls on a Sunday, as it does in 2021. This means the cycle of Holy Years repeats every six, five, six and 11 years. The last Holy Year was in 2010; the next one is in 2027.
The beginning of the 2021 Jubilee Holy Year of St James – the synonymous saint of the famous pilgrimage route – was marked by Archbishop Julian Barrio of the Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela ritually opening the ancient cathedral Holy Door of Saint James the Great and celebrating mass.
