The bricks are used to seal the Holy Year Doors between Jubilees at the four major basilicas in Rome.

Great pomp and ceremony is connected to these bricks. In earlier times, the pope would literally take a hammer to smash through the bricks. Crowds gathered to watch this ceremony and to collect pieces of the bricks as souvenirs or relics of the Holy Year. This practice, however, became dangerous as people were killed attempting to grab the bricks.

Eventually that practice ended and the bricks are now removed in advance and distributed to people working at the Vatican.

Holy Year bricks are quite prized, ornate and large with symbols of the papacy on them. You may view several different ones from different papacies in the Collection.