This graduation thesis presents a historical overview of the penitential discipline starting from its foundation in the Holy Scriptures. In the Old Testament, penance had the purpose of alleviating God's wrath and was often understood formalistically, while in the New Testament, we have several texts that refer to penitential practice in the Church. The New Testament speaks of conversion and metanoia. Throughout history, especially in the beginnings of the Church, two forms of penance stood out: canonical and tariff penance. The main characteristics of canonical penance are one-time application, severity, and exceptionality, while tariff penance is characterized by penitentials - books that priests use when determining the tariff (penitential acts). Little by little, penance took its current shape and form, and the emphasis shifted from the element of penance to the element of confessing sins. Scholastic thought defined the relationships between the penitential acts, while the Council of Trent defined Catholic sacramentology, and thus the sacrament of penance. Some innovations in the form of the liturgical celebration of the sacrament have been introduced by the Order of Penance of Paul VI, but nothing has changed in the essential understanding of the sacramental act. The teaching on indulgences, which has its historical background, is also important for the Church. Granting indulgences is a practice based on the teaching of the necessity of reparation and solidarity through prayer and acts of penance. The document that has dealt with this in more detail is Paul VI's Indulgentiarum Doctrina. The Handbook on Indulgences is also of great importance. The latest edition summarizes the church's teaching on indulgences and brings all the provisions and privileges associated with this Church practice.