XACOBEO 2004

A stamp with a face value of 52 cents has been issued to commemorate Santiago Holy Year or the Jacobean Jubilee 2004 , the first of the millennium.

The festival of Saint James the Apostle is celebrated on 25 July every year. Years in which this celebration falls on a Sunday (which occurs at intervals of 5, 6 and 11 years) are declared Santiago Holy Years or Jacobean Jubilees . These festivals were introduced in the 12 th century by Pope Callixtus II, who issued a papal bull granting Compostela special privileges. During Jubilee or Jacobean Years , the Catholic church bestows spiritual favours on its faithful: Plenary Indulgence (the grant of Divine Pardon), absolution from all condemnation and the dispensation and commutation of vows. According to tradition, each Jubilee or Jacobean Year begins with an opening ceremony at the Holy Gate during the evening of 31 December of the preceding year. The Holy Gate , in the Cathedral's ambulatory, is concealed by a wall which is struck three times from the outside by the Archbishop of Santiago. The wall then falls and allows free passage to the pilgrims, who use it as a ritual entry to the Sanctuary. The Holy Gate remains open until the following 31 December when it is again blocked off. On 31 December 2003 after celebrating the ceremony of the Opening of the Holy Gate , the Archbishop of Santiago, Julián Barrio, declared the beginning of Jacobean Holy Year 2004 , the first of the new millennium. The commemorative stamp issued by the Spanish Postal Service shows a view of the interior of the Cathedral, as seen from the Pórtico de la Gloria , with the central nave in the background. A fragment of the Pilgrims Way is shown to represent the Camino de Santiago .