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<img height='275' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/1515.jpg'>
 Restoration of the Colonnade of Saint Peter's Square Philatelic Certificate of Participation Scott 1515 (2012)
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On November 20, 2012, Vatican City released a rather unique philatelic item. Pictured above, it is officially titled Philatelic Certificate of Participation in the Restoration of the Colonnade of Saint Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
 
The certificate measures 210 mm by 148.5 mm and contains two €10 stamps, one bearing the coat of arms of Pope Benedict XVI and the second the seal of Pope Alexander VII. The certificate was intended to allow collectors the opportunity to contribute to the restoration project that began in 2009.
 
The certificate was issued in two forms. The first version was issued with the certificate bearing the heading Officium Philatelicum et Nomismaticum (Philatelic and Numismatic Office). The second version allowed for the personalization of the certificate with the name of the purchaser. The inscription on the certificate, translated from the Latin, reads:
<blockquote>"This is to certify that...contributed to the restoration of colonnade of Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican, a world heritage site and a place of immeasurable religious, historic and artistic value".</blockquote>
Starting in the early 15th century, and following years of neglect, the Basilica of Saint Peter underwent a total reconstruction. This project took over 200 years to complete and was finished around 1614. Following its completion, it was decided to redesign the piazza in front of the Basilica. In 1655, Fabio Chigi became pope, taking the name of Alexander VII. An art collector and student of architecture, he contacted Gian Lorenzo Bernini to discuss projects to enhance Saint Peter's and the piazza or square at its entrance. This led to the commissioning of Bernini to construct the Colonnades of San Pietro. It should be noted that between working on the interior of Saint Peter's and then on the colonnades, Bernini worked over 50 years on the restoration of the Basilica.
 
Built between 1656 and 1667, the final construct of the colonnades includes a set of colossal Doric columns, 284 in total, each measuring 16 meters in height. They are arranged in four rows and create three parallel lanes. The colonnades frame the trapezoidal entrance to the Basilica and the massive elliptical area which precedes it. In the words of Bernini, the elliptical center of the piazza is intended to "enclose the visitor in the maternal arms of Mother Church". With Saint Peter's lying on the southeastern corner of the Vatican City state, the colonnades define a portion of the border with Italy.
 
The colonnades are crowned with the Chigi coat of arms and 140 statues of saints. Honoring the great souls of the Church, from the earliest times (examples being Saint Paul and Saint Lawrence) through recent saints at the time of construction (including Saint Philip Neri and Saint Ignatius of Loyola), the statues include martyrs, popes, and 38 women, and each measure approximately 10 feet in height.
 
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<img height='375' src='https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/St_Peter%27s_Square%2C_Vatican_City_-_April_2007.jpg'> 
Saint Peter's Square and Colonnade, from the dome of St Peter's Basilica 
Photo by Diliff 
From Wikimedia Commons, used under the terms of the Creative 
Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license</center>
 
Saint Peter's Square, wrapped by the colonnades of Bernini, is one of the world's truly remarkable venues. As directed by Pope Alexander VII, Bernini was charged with designing a piazza so that the greatest number of people could see the Pope give his blessing, either from the middle of the façade of the church or from a window in the Vatican Palace. Most would agree that Bernini succeeded, on a truly colossal and unprecedented scale.
 
Saint Peter's Square and Bernini's Colonnade have been featured on many Vatican City stamps. Here is a nice portrayal of the colonnade: the se-tenant three-stamp issue for the 1991 Synod of Bishops For Europe:
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<img height='275' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/895.jpg'>
<img height='275' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/896.jpg'>
<img height='275' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/897.jpg'> 
Scott 895-897 (1991)</center>
 
REFERENCES: 
<li>Wikipedia.com, <a href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter%27s_Square'>St. Peter's Square</a> 
<li>Italy Magazine.com, January, 2013, <a href='https://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/vatican-sells-stamps-save-st-peters-square'>Vatican Sells Stamps To Save St Peter's Square</a> 
<li>UFN, November 20, 2012, <a href='https://vaticanstamps.org/UFN/images/2012-2-12-1.jpg'>Philatelic Certificate of Participation in the Restoration of the Colonnade of Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican</a> 
<li>James C. Hamilton, Vatican Notes, Volume 61, Number 355, pages 4-6, <a href='https://vaticanstamps.org/vaticannotes/idisplay.php?p=61-355-04-05'>Vatican City New Issues: November 2012</a> 
<li>Vatican Philatelic Society website, www.vaticanstamps.org, Stamp Database Search

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Restoration ofSaint Peter's Colonnade

Restoration of
Saint Peter's Colonnade