2010 Marks Holy Year at Santiago de Compostela

The Puerta Santa (Holy Door), which gives access to the Cathedral from the Plaza de la Quintana is opened on 31st December, 2009, the eve of each Holy Year, and walled up again on Dec 31, 2010.  Every time, St James's day (25th July) falls on a Sunday, the cathedral declares a Holy or Jubilee Year. The next (after year 2010) Holy Year will be 2021. Pilgrims reaching Santiago during a Holy Year, and fulfilling the conditions for it, are granted a plenary indulgence. This means that you can get remission for all of your worldly sins. In observance of the Holy Year, the Botafumerio will be pulled every day at the Pilgrim Mass Enviado. The swinging Botafumeiro dispensing clouds of incense. A dome above the crossing contains the pulley mechanism to swing the "Botafumeiro", famous thurible. This thurible was created by the goldsmith José Losada in 1851. The Santiago de Compostela Botafumeiro is the largest censer in the world, weighing 88. lbs and measuring 5'3" in height. It is normally on exhibition in the library of the cathedral, but during certain important religious high days it is attached to the pulley mechanism, filled with charcoal and incense.