Holy Year 2025

The opening of the Holy Door of St Peter's Basilica. To the right, the Latin inscription 'IVBILAEUM' and the year '2025' running vertically. Along the lower edge, the issuing state 'CITTÀ DEL VATICANO'. The Rome Mint mark 'R' is set into the door. At the lower left, the name of designer 'D. LONGO'.

The Holy Year, known in Church Latin as Iubilaeum, traces back to the Old Testament and was first proclaimed as a Christian pilgrimage jubilee by Pope Boniface VIII in the year 1300. Since then it has generally been held every 25 years. Its most visible ritual is the opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome — a symbolic act performed only in the jubilee year, extending an invitation to pilgrims from around the world to journey to the Vatican. The 2025 Jubilee, held under the motto "Pilgrims of Hope," was proclaimed by Pope Francis, continuing a tradition that has structured the religious life of the Catholic Church for more than seven centuries.

Vatican City, as an independent subject of international law, has existed since the Lateran Treaties of 1929 and, at 0.44 square kilometres, is the smallest country in the world. As the seat of the Holy See and the centre of the Roman Catholic Church, with around 1.4 billion faithful worldwide, it carries religious and cultural significance that extends far beyond its geographical borders. The Vatican has issued its own euro coins since the currency's introduction in 2002, coins that are especially prized among collectors owing to their low mintages. For the 2025 Holy Year, the Vatican's 2-euro commemorative coin honours the jubilee as one of the central events on this decade's Church calendar.