July 25 is the Feast of St. James the Apostle, Galicia’s most important religious and civic holiday. It marks the day St. James began his eternal life after his martyrdom, and it’s celebrated in Santiago de Compostela with a solemn Mass, the swinging of the giant botafumeiro incense burner, fireworks, and two weeks of festivities. When July 25 falls on a Sunday, the Catholic Church declares a Holy Year, a rare honor shared only by Santiago de Compostela, Rome, and Jerusalem — the next one falls in 2027.
Every July 25 is etched into the memory and calendar of Galicians in general, and of picheleiros in particular. On this date, our city hosts one of the oldest and most solemn celebrations still observed today.
At Rutas Meigas, every year we walk alongside thousands of pilgrims arriving in Santiago de Compostela via the various Camino de Santiago routes. And we know that few experiences hit harder than reaching the end of the Camino during the Feast of the Apostle — or better yet, during one of the rare Holy Years that occur only a handful of times per century. The next one, as it happens, is 2027.
Why we Celebrate St. James the Apostle on July 25
St. James — called “the Greater” to distinguish him from another apostle of the same name — was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus of Nazareth and, alongside his brother John and Peter, one of his closest companions. Christian tradition places his martyrdom in Jerusalem around the year 44 AD, beheaded by order of Herod Agrippa I, making him the first apostle known to have been martyred according to written record. July 25 doesn’t actually commemorate his death, but rather the beginning of his eternal life — which is why it’s a feast day for Christians.
According to tradition, after his death his disciples Theodore and Athanasius recovered his body and carried it by sea to the shores of Gallaecia, present-day Galicia, where he had preached during his lifetime. He was buried there, and his tomb lay forgotten for centuries — until the 9th century, when a hermit named Pelagius (Paio), guided by strange lights over a forest, discovered the remains. The find was confirmed by Bishop Theodomir and by King Alfonso II “the Chaste” of Asturias, who traveled to the site and, according to tradition, became history’s first pilgrim.
Over that “field of stars”, the city we know today would eventually rise.
From forgotten tomb to holy city: the birth of the Camino de Santiago
The discovery of the tomb completely transformed that corner of northwestern Spain. Within a couple of centuries, Compostela went from a modest settlement to one of the three great pilgrimage destinations of medieval Christianity, alongside Rome and Jerusalem. Thousands of pilgrims from across Europe began walking what we now call the Camino de Santiago — a network of routes that drove the construction of bridges, hospitals, monasteries, and churches, and helped shape much of medieval Europe.
That universal appeal explains why, centuries later, UNESCO designated the Camino de Santiago a World Heritage Site, and why every July 25, thousands of people from around the world still converge on the same square to mark the same date that’s been celebrated for over a thousand years.
The Holy Year of Compostela
If July 25 is already a special date every year, there’s one circumstance that elevates it to an entirely different level: when it falls on a Sunday. When that happens, the Church declares a Holy Year of Compostela (Año Santo Compostelano), a unique privilege granted only to Santiago de Compostela, Rome, and Jerusalem.
This privilege dates back to 1122, when Pope Calixtus II granted Compostela the honor of celebrating a Jubilee Year whenever the Feast of the Apostle fell on a Sunday. Decades later, in 1178, Pope Alexander III confirmed and made this privilege permanent through the papal bull Regis Aeterni, formally placing Compostela on equal footing with Rome and Jerusalem as a destination for plenary indulgence.
Because of how the calendar and leap years work, this coincidence follows a repeating pattern of 6, 5, 6, and 11 years, producing fourteen Holy Years per century. In recent decades, Compostela Holy Years were celebrated in 1993, 1999, 2004, 2010, and 2021 — the latter extended into 2022 by Pope Francis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following that same pattern, the next Holy Year will be 2027, followed by 2032.
During Holy Years, Santiago Cathedral opens its Holy Door (Puerta Santa), located in Quintana Square, in a ceremony held on New Year’s Eve of the preceding year, when the archbishop symbolically strikes with a silver hammer what, for centuries, was a bricked-up wall. Passing through the Holy Door, together with confession, communion, and prayer for the Pope’s intentions, allows pilgrims to obtain the plenary indulgence — a full remission of the temporal punishment for already-confessed sins, which for many believers is the ultimate purpose of their pilgrimage.
How Santiago de Compostela celebrates the Feast of the Apostle
The Feast of the Apostle isn’t limited to a single day. For nearly two weeks, Compostela fills with concerts, exhibitions, street parades, and outdoor performances that build in intensity toward the two biggest days: July 24 and 25.
Novena of St. James the Apostle
From July 15 to 23, at 7:30 PM each evening, the Novena of St. James the Apostle is held at the Cathedral. On July 24, ahead of the grand solemn Mass the following day, the Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela, His Excellency and Most Reverend Francisco José Prieto Fernández, will preside over Solemn Vespers. On that day, the Pilgrim’s Mass is celebrated at 8:30 PM, an hour later than usual.
During this period, Pilgrim’s Masses are also held daily at 1:00 PM, 4:00 PM, 5:00 PM, 6:00 PM, and 7:30 PM.
Fogos do Apóstolo: the night that lights up the city
The night of July 24 is, for many picheleiros (locals from Santiago) and visitors, the true heart of the festival. This is the Fogos do Apóstolo (“Fires of the Apostle”) — a light, sound, and fireworks show that draws tens of thousands of people to Obradoiro Square and other iconic spots across the city. Its documented origins date back to the 16th century, when the square was lit with colored candles to mark the start of the celebration. In the 17th and 18th centuries, that lighting evolved into the burning of a large pyrotechnic “castle” designed to mimic the Cathedral’s façade.
For heritage-preservation reasons, since 2020 the fireworks display is no longer staged on the Cathedral façade itself. Today the fireworks are launched from several points around central Santiago — typically the Alameda park, the Fontiñas Steps (Carlomagno Park), and the Cidade da Cultura de Galicia.
The Apostle’s Mass, the National Offering, and the Botafumeiro
On July 25, religious solemnity takes center stage. The Apostle’s Mass is celebrated in the Cathedral, usually presided over by the Archbishop of Santiago, during which the traditional National Offering to the Apostle takes place — a ceremony dating back to 1643, when King Philip IV instituted an offering of a thousand gold escudos to the patron saint of Spain.
Today, the King of Spain, a representative of the Royal Household, or a royal delegate travels to Compostela each year to present this offering on behalf of the nation. During the Mass, it’s also customary for the famous botafumeiro to swing — the giant incense burner that sweeps across the Cathedral’s transept, filling the church with a cloud of incense in what is, for pilgrims and visitors alike, one of the most unforgettable images of the entire Camino de Santiago.
Galicia Day
July 25 is also Galicia’s National Day, the region’s official civic holiday, which takes advantage of the Apostle’s feast day to hold official ceremonies, cultural events, and public demonstrations tied to Galician identity.
On this single day, Compostela brings together religious solemnity, Galician cultural pride, and popular celebration — a combination that explains why this date is so unforgettable.
Feast of the Apostle 2026: Festival Program
After several years without it, the Feast of the Apostle 2026 brings back the light-and-sound show projected onto the façade of the Pazo de Raxoi, in Obradoiro Square. The projection will run about 9 minutes, blending imagery and music in a narrative sequence that brings the building’s façade to life.
It can be enjoyed over three nights: July 24 (the festival’s biggest day), with showings every 15 minutes between midnight and 2:00 AM; and July 25 and 26, with showings between 11:00 PM and 1:00 AM. The show joins the rest of the confirmed 2026 program (July 18–31), which includes concerts by Lila Downs and Belém Tajes on July 24, and closes with The Rapants on July 31.
A July 25 already looking ahead to the 2027 Holy Year
There are only a few days left until this year’s July 25 — the starting gun for two straight weeks of festivities in our city. But throughout 2026, it’s impossible not to already look ahead to next year.
Our last Holy Year — also the first double Holy Year in our history, 2021–2022 — was an unusual Jubilee, precisely because it coincided with the tail end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many pilgrims were still seen wearing masks and keeping their distance; the traditional embrace of the Apostle’s statue above the high altar wasn’t even possible at the time.
So yes, there’s real appetite for a Holy Year without restrictions — and one that’s approaching amid rumors that Pope Leo XIV could visit. The invitation has already been extended, and surely the Apostle will do his part to make it happen.
It might not hurt, either, to ask the meigas (Galicia’s legendary witches) for a little help…
Buen Camino!
Rutas Meigas | Camino de Santiago and hiking specialists in Galicia | rutasmeigas.com
