Spiritual and religiousEuropeChristian
Celestinian Pardon
In its own language: Perdonanza Celestiniana
A yearly Catholic jubilee in L'Aquila, Italy, and a pardon first granted in 1294
The Celestinian Pardon is an annual Catholic jubilee kept in the Italian city of L'Aquila in the closing days of August. Pope Celestine V set it up in 1294 through a papal bull, and the city has marked it each year since; UNESCO recognised it as intangible cultural heritage in 2019.
When is Celestinian Pardon kept?
Celestinian Pardon is kept on once a year, in late August.
Each August, the Italian city of L'Aquila keeps the Celestinian Pardon, a Catholic jubilee that reaches back to 1294. Pope Celestine V issued a bull granting forgiveness, and the city has renewed the occasion yearly. It is at once a religious observance and a civic tradition, recognised by Italy and, in 2019, added by UNESCO to its list of intangible cultural heritage.
What it is
The Celestinian Pardon is a Catholic jubilee kept every year in the Italian city of L'Aquila. In Catholic use a jubilee is a set occasion for pardon, which is why the event carries the name it does. Two English forms of the title are in circulation, Celestinian Pardon and Celestinian Forgiveness. In Italian it is the Perdonanza Celestiniana. The observance comes round once a year, in the last days of August, and its first year was 1294.
Origins in 1294
The pardon begins with Pope Celestine V. In 1294 he issued a bull, a formal document issued in a pope's name, known in Latin as Inter sanctorum solemnia. It also goes by the names Bull of Pardon and Bull of Forgiveness. This bull is the charter of the whole event: it is what gave L'Aquila its yearly jubilee. The same year is given as the first occasion. Celestine V is named as the founder, and the document he issued is the reason the city has an annual pardon to keep.
Italy and UNESCO
Two public recognitions are attached to the Celestinian Pardon. The first came in 2011, when Italy named it a Heritage of Italy for tradition, or Patrimonio d'Italia per la tradizione. The second came in 2019, when UNESCO recognised it as intangible cultural heritage at the organisation's fourteenth session. Intangible heritage is UNESCO's term for living practices passed between people rather than monuments or objects. Both labels matter in L'Aquila, since they place a local church occasion alongside much larger traditions from other countries.
How Celestinian Pardon is kept
The pardon is an annual Catholic observance in L'Aquila, arriving in late August and taking place at the basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio. It has returned each year since 1294, the year Pope Celestine V issued the bull that established it. The accounts available do not set out a detailed order for the day, so no step-by-step sequence of services or processions can be given.
When and where
The pardon returns once a year, as August draws towards its close. No single calendar day is named, and the timing given is simply the later part of the month. The first such occasion is dated to 1294, and it has come round every year since.
It is kept in L'Aquila, in Italy, and the sources link it to no other place. The event takes place at the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio, named as the church where it happens. The observance belongs to this one city.
What Celestinian Pardon means
For Catholics in L'Aquila, a jubilee is a set occasion for pardon, and the name of this one says so plainly. The document behind it is the bull of 1294, which is why the city dates its yearly observance to that year. The event also stands for local identity: Italy named it a heritage of Italian tradition in 2011 and UNESCO recognised it in 2019. Forgiveness gives the occasion both its name and its purpose.
Questions people ask about Celestinian Pardon
When is Celestinian Pardon kept?
Celestinian Pardon is kept on once a year, in late August.
What is the Celestinian Pardon?
It is an annual Catholic jubilee in the Italian city of L'Aquila. The name comes from Pope Celestine V, who established it in 1294 through a papal bull. It is also called the Celestinian Forgiveness, and in Italian the Perdonanza Celestiniana.
Where does it take place?
In L'Aquila, a city in Italy, and at the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio, named as the church where the event takes place. No other place is linked to it in the available accounts.
What is the bull of pardon?
It is the papal document Pope Celestine V issued in 1294, known in Latin as Inter sanctorum solemnia. English sources also call it the Bull of Pardon or the Bull of Forgiveness. The bull is what established the yearly jubilee in L'Aquila.
Has the event been recognised officially?
Yes. Italy named it a Heritage of Italy for tradition, or Patrimonio d'Italia per la tradizione, in 2011. In 2019 UNESCO recognised it as intangible cultural heritage. Both concern the living practice rather than a monument or a building.
See also
Holy WeekThe solemn seven days leading to Easter, recalling the final week and Passion of Jesus
Stations of the CrossA Christian prayer journey following fourteen moments of the Passion of Jesus
ConclaveCardinals sealed in the Sistine Chapel, voting until two thirds agree on a new pope
Camino de SantiagoA Christian walking pilgrimage across Europe to the shrine of Saint James in SpainGood reading and sources
- Celestinian Forgiveness on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Celestinian Forgiveness", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryParampara rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-12.
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