Valencia is getting ready for the celebration of the Holy Grail Jubilee Year for second time. This event will begin on Thursday, the 29th October and it will take place for a year.
Did you know that Valencia was granted with this award in 2015 by Pope Francis? Since then, the Capital of Turia has been on the list of the Holy Cities in the world.
The Cathedral of Valencia has the privilege of hosting one of the most important treasures of the Church: The Holy Grail. Even the Holy See itself has confirmed that this cup is the one used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper.
The Holy Grail, which has been displayed in the Cathedral's Holy Grail Chapel since 1916, has generated many legends and a lot of interest from visitors who wish to admire this famous relic. This makes Valencia one of the main pilgrimage destinations for both the Christian faithful and tourists curious to discover its history.
Tracing back the history of the Holy Grail, it gives us a remarkably interesting route. It began with Saint Peter moving it from Jerusalem to Rome. Later, due to persecutions by the Emperor Valerian, Pope Sixtus II commissioned to San Lorenzo to take the Grail out of the "eternal city". To protect it, he moved it to the Spanish city of Huesca, where it ended up hidden in the monastery of “San Juan de la Peña”. In the 14th century, the monks of the monastery gave it to the King of Aragon. The Holy Grail also passed through his royal residence in Zaragoza and it was in 1424, thanks to King Alfonso the Magnanimous, when the Holy Chalice was moved to the Royal Palace in Valencia. Ten years later and after a costly military campaign for the conquest of the Kingdom of Naples, King Alfonso gave all his relics, including the Holy Grail, as a guarantee to pay off his debt to the Church. Since then, it has been preserved and venerated for centuries among the treasures of Valencia´s Cathedral.
If you want to know more details about this famous relic we encourage you to book "Tour of the Holy Grail and religious art" which will take you through Church “San Juan del Hospital”, the Cathedral and the Church of San Nicolas (entrance fees included) for a fantastic tour where you will learn about the medieval past of the Valencian capital as well as its most important religious architecture. Also, on the tour, you will see other monuments such as the Basilica, the church of Santa Catalina and the Patriarch.
You will find more information about the tour, schedules, and prices here:
Tour of the Holy Grail and religious art (Every Friday at 10am)
Sign up now and don't miss out on this fantastic route!
