The World Religious and Spiritual Tourism Destinations Network invited to the closing of the Lebaniego Jubilee Year

13-04-24

• On Sunday, April 14, the day of the closing ceremony, shuttle buses will be available from Potes to Santo Toribio from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm.

• The concert "Terribilis est locus iste" by Schola Antiqua can be followed from the esplanade of the Monastery on a screen with free access until full capacity is reached.

More than 2,000 people belonging to schools and folk groups, pilgrimage associations, brotherhoods, choirs, artistic teams of lighting design, arrastrasillas project, among others, will be protagonists this weekend of the most diverse and inclusive event held to date to close a Holy Year in Cantabria.

The closing of the Jubilee Year Lebaniego 2023-2024, an event that transcends the history and spirituality of Cantabria, is preparing to offer three days full of culture, tradition and religious fervor. From Friday 12 to Sunday 14 April, the program organized by the Fundación Camino Lebaniego aims to envelop pilgrims and visitors in a blanket of unique experiences that will illuminate the way to the next Jubilee in 2028.

In addition, to make it easier for everyone who wishes to be part of the closing of the Puerta del Perdón on Sunday, April 14, the organization has arranged a shuttle bus service between Potes and the Monastery of Santo Toribio, which will run throughout the morning, from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm.

Likewise, the organization has increased the capacity so that the Schola Antiqua concert on Saturday, April 13 can be followed from the esplanade of the Monastery with free access until full capacity is reached.

In this context of reactivation and celebration of religious and spiritual tourism, the participation of the Director General of the World Religious and Spiritual Tourism Destinations Network, Ms. Pilar Valdés, in the closing ceremonies has strengthened the international projection of the Lebaniego Jubilee Holy Year. The strategic alliance with the Lebaniego Jubilee Holy Year and the Fundación Camino Lebaniego confirms the desire to collaborate in the development of practices, knowledge and resources to enrich the experience of pilgrims and visitors.

Looking to the future, the World Religious and Spiritual Tourism Destinations Network and the Fundación Camino Lebaniego are already working on the development of new actions that will be presented soon. These initiatives will seek not only to keep the spirit of the Jubilee alive among the events celebrated, but also to expand the reach and influence of Cantabria as a key spiritual tourism destination on the world map. These future actions promise to continue the tradition of hospitality and spiritual enrichment that characterizes the Camino Lebaniego, further consolidating its reputation as a premier pilgrimage destination.

At 12:00h will be the time when the opening ceremony will take place in the Plaza Jesus de Monasterio, which will be accompanied by songs and jotas lebaniegas starring schools and folklore groups of the Camino Lebaniego. The Gastronomic Brotherhoods, in turn, will perform various demonstrations and talks about their products, their preparation and traditions.

In the afternoon, from 17:00 h, musical groups from Cantabria and Palencia, twinned since 2023, will perform so that the Camino Lebaniego Castellano becomes a pilgrimage route of reference and also becomes a cultural and touristic link between both territories.

The afternoon day in Potes will close with a demonstration of the Pilgrim's Liqueur.

In Santo Toribio, from 19:30 h, the concert "Terribilis est locus iste" by Schola Antiqua will take place, within the cycle 'Roads that unite us'. Medieval music for the closing of the Holy Door, which can also be followed with free access from the esplanade of the Monastery of Santo Toribio, through a screen until full capacity is reached.

In the evening, at 21:30 h, and under the title 'Domus Dei, Domus Populi', the religious architectural heritage of Potes will be illuminated through a free itinerary of light and sound installations: the Old Church of San Vicente (now the Center for Lebaniegos Studies), the new church of San Vicente, the Convent of San Raimundo and the Hermitage of San Cayetano. This performance is designed and artistically directed by Carlight and Javier Costas.

From 10:30 p.m., the Infantado Tower will take center stage with a video mapping projection entitled 'Gratias tibi ago'. The shows will be repeated at 23:00 h and 23:45 hours. This video mapping performance is designed and directed by Michaël Valet, artistic director of the company Enlight (France), author and creator for a decade of different monumental video-creations that have been projected on occasions of major international events and projected on numerous occasions on emblematic heritage sites such as Versailles or Le Pont du Gard in France, to name a few of his recent works.

On Sunday 14, the day of the solemn closing, not only will the solemn mass be celebrated in the Monastery of Santo Toribio, but the occasion will also be honored with twelve concerts by twelve polyphonic choirs, in collaboration with the Cantabrian Federation of Choirs, in twelve churches distributed along the Coastal Route: Castro Urdiales, Laredo, Colindres, Güemes, Santoña, Santander, Suances, Torrelavega, Puente San Miguel, Oreña, Comilas and San Vicente de la Barquera.

In addition, as part of this great closing, special services will be offered to facilitate the participation of all. Shuttle buses will be available from Potes to Santo Toribio from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., ensuring that no one misses this historic moment.

This Lebaniego Jubilee Holy Year is not just an event; it is a testimony of faith, culture and hospitality that defines Cantabria and its pilgrimage routes. The invitation is extended to live, share and be part of these three days that will be remembered until the next Jubilee in 2028.