S010-VATICANO SELLADO PUERTA SANTA

STORY: With a final ritual that dates back centuries, the Vatican on Friday (January 16) sealed the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica by burying its key inside a brick wall, bringing the Catholic Church's Jubilee Holy Year to a close.

The ceremony, known as la muratura, was held privately inside the basilica and presided over by Mauro Gambetti, the archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica. It followed the official closing of the Holy Door by Pope Leo on January 6, 2026.

Footage released by Vatican Media on Saturday (January 17), showed Vatican workers known as Sampietrini rebuilding the wall sealing the massive bronze door, using about 3,200 bricks. Before the wall was closed, a bronze box was placed inside containing the key used to open the Holy Door, along with a parchment certifying its opening and closing and a collection of commemorative medals.

The medals included issues from the pontificates of Pope Francis, who proclaimed the Jubilee and died in 2025, and Pope Leo XIV, who concluded it. Medals marking the period between the 2016 Jubilee of Mercy and the 2025 Holy Year, as well as one from the 2025 'sede vacante' (empty seat), were also enclosed.

The bronze box was sealed inside a lead container before being embedded in the wall, where it will remain until the next Jubilee, when the Holy Door is once again opened.

The Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica is the most prominent of Rome's four Holy Doors. Passing through them during a Jubilee is traditionally associated with spiritual renewal and the remission of sins.

The Jubilee Holy Year, which opened on Christmas Eve 2024, drew tens of millions of pilgrims to Rome. While the closing of the Holy Door marks the end of the extraordinary celebrations, Vatican officials said St. Peter's Basilica will continue to welcome pilgrims as a central destination of Catholic faith.