Valencia Cathedral hosts Jubilee closing on 29 October

Valencia Cathedral (Catedral de València) hosted the closing Eucharist of the Holy Chalice Jubilee in Valencia on 29 October 2026. The ceremony brought the relic from its chapel to the High Altar as the Third Eucharistic Jubilee Year ended.

Holy Chalice Jubilee closed at the High Altar

The closing mass began at 7pm on 29 October, according to the cathedral and the Visit Valencia Foundation. Archbishop Enrique Benavent presided over the service, which formally brought the jubilee to an end on the same day as the scheduled close of the year.

The event was the final ceremony in a programme that had included music, religious celebrations and activities linked to the history of the relic. The official cathedral account said that the original Holy Chalice left its chapel for the Eucharist, an unusual change to the object’s normal setting. The account also said that replicas were presented to parishes recognised for their work during the jubilee. The cathedral announcement of the closing mass set out the date, venue and role of the relic.

Visit Valencia described the ceremony as the conclusion of the Third Holy Grail Jubilee Year and placed it at the cathedral’s High Altar. Its programme also linked the closing to the city’s wider cultural offer around the Holy Chalice, including a guided itinerary through the historic centre. The Visit Valencia programme for the jubilee closing records the ceremony as an event open to the public.

Valencia Cathedral connects the ceremony with centuries of history

The building has developed over several periods. Bishop Andrés de Albalat laid the foundation stone of the present cathedral on 22 June 1262, after the site had also been used for Roman, Visigothic and Islamic structures. The cathedral later acquired Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical elements.

The old Chapter House was built between 1365 and 1369 and became the Chapel of the Holy Chalice in 1916. The chapel is a fourteenth-century Flamboyant Gothic space measuring 13 metres across and 16 metres high, with a star-shaped ribbed vault. That architectural setting explains the significance of the 29 October ceremony: the relic was temporarily taken from a dedicated historic chapel to the High Altar for the jubilee’s final mass. These details are recorded in the cathedral’s history of the Holy Chalice chapel.

The relic arrived at the cathedral in 1437 after being held within the royal reliquary of the Crown of Aragon. It has therefore been associated with the building for almost six centuries, while the current chapel has housed it since 1916.

Visiting Valencia Cathedral: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The closing Eucharist took place at Valencia Cathedral on 29 October 2026, with Archbishop Enrique Benavent presiding at the High Altar.
• The Holy Chalice left its chapel for that ceremony. The jubilee event has ended, so visitors should distinguish the one-day celebration from the cathedral’s continuing cultural visit.
• The cathedral stands in the historic centre of Valencia, beside the Chapel of the Holy Chalice and the Miguelete bell tower.
• The chapel is a Gothic interior with a star-shaped vault, carved stone walls, a square plan and a height of 16 metres.
• Spain uses the euro, and Spanish and Valencian are the official languages of Valencia.

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Frequently asked questions about Valencia Cathedral

When did the Holy Chalice Jubilee close at Valencia Cathedral?

The closing Eucharist took place on 29 October 2026 at the High Altar, presided over by Archbishop Enrique Benavent.

What happened to the Holy Chalice during the closing Eucharist?

The relic was moved from its chapel to the High Altar for the ceremony before the Third Eucharistic Jubilee Year ended.

What is Valencia Cathedral?

It is the cathedral church of Valencia, whose present building began in 1262 and whose Holy Chalice chapel dates from the fourteenth century.