One of the more interesting rites that has been practiced
throughout time is one where a high priest knocks on a holy door
or gate three times with a hammer, mallet, or mace before
opening and entering. The Catholic Rite Matthew B. Brown
explains this practice in the Roman Catholic tradition as seen
in the photo on the left: On Jubilee years [every 25 years], the
Pope carries out a . . . rite when he knocks three times with a
golden hammer on the Holy Door, or Holy Gate, of St. Peter’s
Basilica in Rome (several other basilicas in Rome also have Holy
Doors). A medieval medal struck to commemorate this occasion
shows the people on one side of the door and the Lord on the
other side . . . The words spoken along with this rite make it
clear that the ceremony represents entry into God’s temple . . .
[the image on the left is] this rite being performed, see
Francesco Papafava, ed., The Vatican (New York: Harper and Row,
1984), 19. The tradition of the Holy Door is also found in the
Russian Orthodox Church. These Ch