International Juridical Congress:
Rome, 1934

International Juridical Congress Issue Scott 41-46 (1935) The 1934 meeting of the International Juridical Congress in Rome is commemorated in a set of six stamps containing two designs (Scott 41-46), issued 1 February, 1935. The Congress met to champion civil rights, labor law, and immigration issues. This set might be termed the first ‘commemorative’ stamp issue from Vatican City. The design on Scott 41-43 depicts the jurist Tritonian (500-547) presenting the law codes (‘the Pandects’) to Emperor Justinian, the Great (r. 527-565). This is the Corpus Juris Civilis (Body of Civil Law), a collection of laws and legal opinions compiled during Justinian’s reign including past laws, judicial opinion, an outline of the law, and new laws. Tritonian headed up a group of jurists who complied these documents known as the Pandects (opinions of jurists). The development of Roman Law Code is an important development in European history because it created a common point of reference for the entire empire. The design of Scott 44-46 depicts Pope Gregory IX (1227-1241) promulgating the decretals, a formalization of canon law that governed the Church. The accumulation of canon law codes was first developed by Gratianus, a Camaldolese monk at the University of Bologna, the most important center for the study of law in the medieval era. Gratianus (late 11th century to ca the 1150s) is known as the ‘father of canon law’ and his work was the foundation for the compendium by Raymond of Penyafort, OP, (1185-1275), who is depicted on the stamp along with Gregory IX. The work is known as the ‘Decretals of Gregory IX ’ and was issued on 5 September 1224 and became the standard canon law document for 700 years until the code was revised in 1917. Franciscus Gratianus: Publication of the 'Decretum' Scott C20-C21 (1951) This compendium of canon law is a development of equal importance to the Corpus Juris Civilis since it governed the affair of the universal Church throughout not only Europe but also the world. Frescoes by Raphael inspired the engraved stamps. Pope Julius II is depicted instead of Gregory IX on the stamp, an example of Renaissance artistic license since it is Julius II who commissioned Raphael’s fresco. Article Links: H. J. Howard, Vatican Notes, Volume 1, Number 9, p. 8, 1954, International Juridical Congress Issue - 1935 James C. Hamilton, Vatican Notes, Volume 68, Number 383, pp. 28-33, 2020, Gratian - Father Of Canon Law