In the Catholic Church, holy years or jubilee years are celebrations solemnly observed at long intervals, associated with general indulgences obtained apart from the sacrament of penance.
After its capture by the Mamluks in 1244, Jerusalem was inaccessible; the hordes of pilgrims therefore had to be redirected to Rome and new Crusades inspired (see Pilgrimage). For pastoral and political reasons, in February of 1300 Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed a jubilee year (Latin annus …