A Holy Door, which is a real door typically opened during jubilees, is for pilgrims to pass through as a symbol of the path to conversion and blessings for the individual.
In its September press release, the archdiocese also announced that a “Compostelle-style pilgrimage” will take place to the Holy Door from July to October 2024.
Compostelle is a reference to the Camino de Santiago, also known as “The Way of St. James.” The Spanish pilgrimage trek is a 1,000-year-old route through Spain that leads to the Cathedral of Santiago located in the Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. The cathedral is traditionally held to be the burial place of St. James the Apostle.
The Quebec Archdiocese said the route for its pilgrimage will be from La Malbaie, a municipality in Southeastern Quebec, to the Holy Door, passing through the Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré shrine. The route is about 86 miles on foot along the St. Lawrence River.
Pilgrims will also be offered an opportunity to visit historic landmarks in Old Quebec, a historic neighborhood of Quebec City surrounded by a defensive fortress built centuries ago and is included on the United Nations’ World Heritage List.
Some of those landmarks include the cathedral, the François-de-Laval Animation Centre, the Marie-de-l’Incarnation Centre, the Jesuits’ Chapel, and the Catherine-de-Saint-Augustin Centre.