Home

Member


Page2 View


Council Of Trent Issue

James C. Hamilton



Council of Trent Issue of 1946, Espresso Stamps:
Bishop Matteo Giberti (6 L, Scott E9)
Gasper Cardinal Contarini (12 L, Scott E10)

On 21 February, 1946 Vatican City released a commemorative stamp set marking the 400th anniversary of the Council of Trent, Scott 110-121, and E9-E10. Consisting of fourteen stamps, this remarkable set included the cathedral in which many of the Council meetings were held, several of the bishops who acted as presidents of the council (as representatives of the pope), and various reformers and saints, including founders of new religious orders in the years following the Lutheran and Calvinist separation from the Church. The emperor of the Holy Roman Empire at the time of the Council, Charles V, is also portrayed, as is Pope Paul III.

The Council of Trent met in three sessions following 1546, concluding its work in 1563, setting the course of the Church for subsequent years. The Council defined and restated the faith and practice by countering the objections of reformers, authorizing new orders, and instituting reforms in Catholic life and the Church, including the establishment of seminaries and the issuance of a catechism. It also marked an end to abuses such as simony and non-residency of bishops which had previously plagued the Church.

The reference below provides a detailed look at the Council of Trent issue, with reviews of all the subjects depicted on the stamps of this iconic set. The article also features a vast array of postal history items tied to this issue.

Article Link:
  • James C. Hamilton, Vatican Notes, Volume 63, Number 366, pp. 12-31, 2015, The 1946 Council of Trent Issue


    Left: Saint Vigilio Cathedral (Scott 110)
    Center: Saint Angela Merici (Scott 111)
    Right: Saint Anthony Zaccharia (Scott 112)


    Left: Saint Ignatius of Loyola (Scott 113)
    Center: Saint Cajetan of Thiene (Scott 114)
    Right: Saint John Fisher (Scott 115)


    Left: Christoforo Cardinal Madruzzi (Scott 116)
    Center: Reginald Cardinal Pole (Scott 117)
    Right: Marcello Cardinal Cervini (Scott 118)


    Left: Giovanni Maria Cardinal del Monte (Scott 119)
    Center: Emperor Charles V (Scott 120)
    Right: Pope Paul III (Scott 121)