What is the Jubilee of 2025? | Complete Guide

The 2025 Jubilee is entering its final months. Those sacred doors that open once every 25 years will seal shut forever on January 6th. But there’s still time to walk the path that millions of pilgrims have taken. Here’s how to do it right. Hey everybody, Rob Allen here from Through Eternity Tours. So today at the end of June, I’ve decided that we’re going to go on a great adventure. It is the Jubilee year. We’re going to hit all seven churches on a walking pilgrimage, what many people are doing, and get it all done in one day. But where we’re starting is pretty fantastic, too. We’re going to start at Santa Maria Major, then go to St. Lawrence outside the walls, San Lorenzo Formura, the Holy Cross of Jerusalem, St. John of Lateran, St. Sebastian outside the walls, St. Paul’s outside the walls, and end it all up with St. Peter’s. Are you ready to join along with me? And ammo. We’re going to start our journey today at Santa Maria Major. We’ve made a reservation with the Jubilee app to go through here at 8:00 a.m. Since there’s been so much attention for the church because Pope Francis was buried here, there have been very bad lines. Fortunately, today there is no line, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. So, let’s go on through. So everyone, this church has gotten a lot of attention since the death of Francis because he specifically chose to be buried inside this church. Now, of the four major basilas in Rome, which are all part of the autonomous Vatican territory, and that’s why we have Vatican police inside this church, it is probably the most authentic to what the original churches looked like on the inside. And just as they’re always reinccorporating things for ancient Roman symbols of triumph, right? Every apps of a church has a triumphal arch. Now the triumphal arch here again is from the fifth century, but it’s depicting scenes of the New Testament depicting Bethlehem and Jerusalem and the apostles coming out, which is a common theme with the mosaics around. It’s more guilt and gold. It’s less realistic and more representational. But then there’s a big change. What happens is that in the apps itself, those were done in the 13th century. That means they’re from the 1200s. That means they’re about 800 years after the ones on the side panels. They were done by the artist Titi. And the big thing is is that they’re putting Mary up to the same level as Jesus because they’re both thrown sitting together. Our private tours take you beyond the guide books to places like this that most visitors never discover. Check out our website or scan the QR code on screen to explore tour options. Get practical tips and book your own experience of Rome’s lesserknown treasures because the real discoveries begin off the tourist path. So John Lorenzo Bernini, one of the great protagonists of the Baroque time period, lived between 1598 and 1680. What’s amazing is that Baroque is movement. It’s theatricality. And the man had also a very dramatic life. But they say towards the end of his life, he became even more devout and religious and sometimes didn’t like to even look at his less religious pieces of work. But his feuderary monuments were innovations. When you go to St. Peter’s Basilica, they’re over-the-top, magnificent, and people are attracted to them today. They don’t even necessarily know who the person is that’s buried there or who the artist was, but they’re drawn to these monuments. Ironically though, the man himself, a very wealthy, powerful nobleman towards the end of his life, decided to have his burial inside Santa Major, but one of the most simple, humble monuments without even his name on it. The name was added later on. It just had his family name and something to indicate the work that he did. And it’s right here, very close to the altar, the high altar of the church. All right, guys. So, I’m predicting that today’s going to be a long day. It’s going to be probably about 20 to 30,000 steps today. So, I think we should have an Italian breakfast. One of my favorite things to do is have a cappuccino kic and also a cornto seiche. So, Italian breakfast is cappuccino and a cornto. But the thing that’s really important as a helpful hint is when you’re buying this at a bar, you can either choose at the cash register, have breakfast at the bar and you pay a cheaper price, or you sit down at a table and it’s a little bit more expensive. It’s always pretty reasonable. Things are not as expensive in Italy when it comes to food, of course. I like to sit at the table, but it’s always great to go at the bar as well, especially when you’re in rush. We’ve just been to Santa Maria Major. We’ve had a nice breakfast and we’re going to go onto the second stop which is St. Lawrence outside the walls. A thing that’s always challenging for a lot of people, including myself when I first came here, is how to cross the streets cuz you have these crosswalks. You even see some tourists here. They’re wondering, “What are we supposed to do?” The goal is is that when you’re on the crosswalks, by law, everyone has to stop and they will stop. Never let them see fear. Don’t act like a squirrel in the headlights. You stand on your ground, look them in the eyes, and they will stop for you. [Music] You know, I I was looking it up and it doesn’t seem that there’s like very specific paths that they recommend that we take. So, I’m going to do based on my experience and seeing some interesting things on the way of where we’re going to go to. And I have to say, of the seven churches, St. Lawrence outside the walls is probably one of my favorites on the outside, on the inside, the history is amazing. And it’s a challenge cuz out of all these churches, this is the only one of ours really that’s going to be closing in the middle of the day. The other ones seem to be so important that they have continuous hours. So that’s why we need to make sure that it’s going to be a second on our path. Following along with the itinerary, we’re walking through Escalina right now. Most tourists never experience this. This is where real Romans live. African restaurants next to traditional ptorias. Chinese markets beside ancient ruins. It’s Rome’s authentic melting pot. Rome was a city in ancient times of over a million people. We’re in an area called Pata Vtorio, right next to Germany. And in ancient times, there was definitely a city here. And that’s why you see these ruins popping up in the middle of nowhere like the 4th century BC Servian walls or even right at the end of the street here, an aqueduct. [Music] Okay guys, so we have this church. which is called the church of Santa Bibana. This is a very interesting church because it was John Lorenzo Bernini’s first project as an architect. He was doing it in his early 20s. And there’s also a beautiful sculpture of the saint inside the church where he’s using and he does this three times in Rome using natural light creating a window to illuminate a statue. Now, the other thing is people kind of think we’re in the middle of the industrial city, part part of the city of Rome. And why would they build a church here? Because this was here way before all this happened. So, remember I said a million people in Rome. In the Middle Ages, the aqueducts were cut off. The water source was gone. Many people left and the population went down to about 30,000, maybe even to 10,000. And they would go to the main water source, which was the river. So all of this, even though this was part of ancient Rome, it became the countryside. And so this was a beautiful gem of a church in the middle of the countryside. And then later on, all this stuff got built up after when Rome became the capital of Italy in 1870. Going under the tracks were right by Germany and going into an area itself that was called San Lorenzo. Many people want to know what happened to Rome in the Second World War. It really was not damaged, but there were sections that did get damaged and they were done by the Americans. They were bombing the infrastructure. So, there were bombing around this area and they even damaged and bombed the church greatly. The one that is our next destination, St. Lawrence, outside the walls. I love this area because it shows the kind of the contrast of the industrial time period and the ancient time period and even stuff from the 1500s. Here are the walls of Rome built in about 275 AD. The emperor alian built them up very quickly. So he even incorporated aqueducts. And if you could see there, we have pieces that would look and would show you where the water would go through because it was always going throughout the top of the uh multiple arches. You can also see here capers that are growing within the ruins. So we’re about to go outside the walls of Rome. Another thing further down is at the end towards there there’s an arch and they’re showing you something that’s part of the aqua feliche. That was when popes are coming in intervening and doing repairs for the city because remember they were the kings. Aqua Feliche Feliche Pereti was Pope Sixus the 5th. We saw his chapel earlier. So let’s head into the area known as San Lorenzo. San Lorenzo today is Rome’s Bohemian University quarter. Artistic, alive with student energy, incredible Roman tratoras where locals actually eat and some of the city’s best nightife. But it carries war scars that most guy books ignore. When you walk these streets, you’re walking through layers of hidden history. Okay, destination number two is right behind us. Really happy to be showing you guys San Lorenzo outside the walls. Well, we’re also right next to the largest cemetery in Rome, Verano. [Music] Look at these ancient columns. You’ll notice the shrapnel damage still scarring the marble. Permanent reminders on that devastating day when over 1,000 tons of bombs fell on Rome. I think there only three of them still in New Rome. What is an amad is like this upper area where it may have been that women were only allowed to be up there. But then of course in sometimes with these other churches a ro I’m not sure if it’s specifically here but it could be because this is within the side of a hill that it was a a different entryway to get into the church and that’s why they had it constructed but they’re so unique. So in the history of the church it is an ancient church but it was actually two churches combined and it is from this point that we can really see it because the architecture from the original place where we entered into is completely different from here. here where the Madr is. The ancient columns are here. And then if you look up, you have facing at this part the founding of this church by Paulus II in Mosaic right up above. Maybe you guys can guess as to why this is one of my favorite churches in Rome. It’s so beautiful, so phenomenal, so mysterious. It’s kind of like the mystery of the faith. You get a sense of what people used to believe in when they would come here and why it was so important for them. And it has so many different things like these are all pieces that were taken out from the catacombs that are underneath that are only open once a year. I just found out I have yet to see them. But look at this amazing cloister. The cloister, the double churches, the mosaics, the material to see. And the other thing that’s amazing is that no one is here. Here we have the relics of St. Lawrence and they have palm leaves above his tomb because he was martyed for the faith. It was a victory of the faith. And if you know where to look in the church, you’ll see the symbol of his martyrdom being recreated for us because he was placed on a grill and roasted alive. Two churches down and you’re already seeing Rome like a local. But we’re just getting started. Next episode, we’re entering Constantine’s World. Real pieces of Christ’s cross, the Pope’s own cathedral, and the neighborhood Trtoria that locals actually recommend. Want to skip the crowds and experience this yourself? Our early morning Vatican tour starts at 7:35 a.m. Click the link below to book your spot. This is Through Eternity Tours, showing you how to do Rome like a local.

Every 25 years, the Holy Doors open.

In this once-in-a-generation moment, we invite you to walk the sacred roads of Rome — from the heart of Christian history to the stories that still shape lives today.

✨ This is the premiere of The Jubilee Tour — a cinematic series filmed entirely on location in Rome during the Jubilee Year 2025.

📍 In this episode:
You’ll discover the meaning of the Jubilee, the origins of this centuries-old tradition, and what makes 2025 so significant.

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0:57 Intro
0:58 Santa Maria Maggiore
– Pope Francis Burial
– 12th/13th Centry Mosaics
2:35 Tour Info
2:57 John Lorenzo Bernini Burial
4:08 A Quick Italian Breakfast!
4:49 How to Cross the Street??
5:25 Walk From Santa Maria Maggiore to San Lorenzo Outside The Walls
– Neighborhood Esquilino (The Melting Pot)
6:43 Santa Bibiana Church (John Lorenzo Berninis First Architecture Project)
– Natural Spotlight
– Neighborhood of San Lorenzo
– WWII Bombing
– Ancient Walls of Rome
– Acqua Felice Arch
9:08 San Lorenzo Neighborhood Details
9:32 San Lorenzo Outside The Walls
– Largest Cemetery in Rome (Verano)
– Maryter of San Lorenzo
12:01 Next Episode Preview