Member
L'Osservatore Romano
150th Anniversary
Christmas 2011
The design for Christmas 2011 is featured on two stamps and a booklet. The designs are from a 15th-century Cretan triptych of oil paintings on wood located in the Pinacoteca of the Vatican Museums. The €0,60 value features a manger scene with the Blessed Mother and the Infant Jesus. The €0,75 stamp contains a portion of the design and depicts the Infant Jesus in a manger. The use of warm, dense colors highlights what the UFN terms the post-Byzantine art style. The wood of the manger is cleverly portrayed to highlight Christ's destiny on the Cross. The stamp booklet contains four self-adhesive €0,75 stamps. Its cover portrays St. Benedict on the left of the manger scene, with St. Francis on the right to complete the triptych.
Technical Details:
Scott Catalogue - 1490 - 1492a
Date Issued - 18 November 2011
Face Value - €0,60, €0,75, €0,75, 4 x €0,75
Perforations - 13.25x13
Printer - Cartor (France)
(Author - James C. Hamilton, From Vatican Notes, Volume 60, Number 351, pp. 6-7, 2012)
Christmas 2012
János (Giovani) Hajnal
Vatican City issued two stamps and a booklet for the 2012 Christmas season that include works by János (Giovani) Hajnal (1913-2010), an artist born in Budapest, Hungary, who worked in Rome after 1948.
Stained glass and mosaics constitute most of Hajnal's works, such as the oval window in the Pope Paul VI Audience Hall, windows in the Duomo of Milan, and Roman Churches such as the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, the Pontifical Scots College, St. Leo the Great and other churches.
From 1977 to 1999 Hajnal designed eight sets of stamps, one set of postal cards, and five aerogrammes for Vatican City. Hajnal's philatelic art is featured in the 3rd Quarter 2011 edition of Vatican Notes. View the article in the reference below.
Miracle of Bolsena
750th Anniversary
Raoul Follereau:
110th Anniversary of Birth and
60th World Day of Leprosy
Christmas 2013
Bernardino di Betto Beth (Pinturicchio)
The 2013 Nativity issue is a joint issue with Aland. The issue consists of two stamps based upon frescoes by Renaissance artist Bernardino di Betto Beth (1454-1513), better known as Pinturicchio, a native of Perugia. The year 2013 marks the fifth centenary of Pinturicchio's death.
The €0,70 stamp is Pinturicchio's The Nativity and the €0,85 value is The Adoration of the Magi. The original frescoes are located in the Hall of Mysteries of the Borgia Apartments of the Apostolic Palace. The stamps are issued in miniature sheets of eight stamps, with the center Nativity label depicting an angel. UFN also issued a folder including the stamps and two FDCs containing stamps from both Vatican City and Aland.
The Aland Islands (Swedish pronunciation o land) are a Swedish-speaking archipelago off Finland consisting of 590 square miles, with a modern-day population of 28,000. The archipelago is strategically situated at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia and the Baltic Sea. Aland is the largest island in the territory's 6,500 small islands, islets, and rocks, and it is home to 90% of the population. Aland is autonomous and self-governing, with Swedish as the official language. The Aland Islands are a special member state of the European Union, joining the EU along with Finland in 1995. The islands are not militarized. Over 80% of the population is affiliated with the Lutheran Church. Aland has been issuing postage stamps since 1984.
Beatification of
Pope Paul VI
Giovanni Battista Montini, Pope Paul VI (1963-1978), the 262nd Successor of St. Peter was beatified as Blessed on 19 October 2014.
One of Pope Paul VI's first decisions was to continue the Second Vatican Council, initiated by Pope John XXIII in 1962 and which concluded in 1965. He summoned the first Synod of Bishops which began on 19 October 1967. Pope Paul implemented its conclusions by setting up post conciliar commissions on the revision of the breviary, lectionary, the order of Mass, sacred music and canon law. He created secretariats for the Promotion of Christian Unity, for Non-Christian Religions and Non-Believers.
Pope Paul VI was the first Pilgrim Pope (see Michael Lamothe's 2012 three-part articles on the Pilgrim Pope published in Vatican Notes in references below). Between sessions of Vatican II, he traveled to Israel in 1964 and met with Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. They removed the mutual excommunications by their predecessors issued in 1054. Pope Paul and Patriarch Athenagoras I met again in Istanbul in 1967 (Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew commemorated the 1964, meeting in 2014). He also pursued ecumenical relationships with other branches of Christianity. Pope Paul VI also traveled to the six inhabited continents 1964-1970, in an era when papal visits were less detailed and extensive as they later became.
Among his encyclicals were Mysterium fidei (1965) on liturgical reform in light of traditional doctrine, Papulerum progresso (1967) on social justice, and Humane Vitae (1968) condemning artificial birth control. In the later years of his pontificate, he contended with negative reactions to Humane Vitae, international terrorism, the kidnap and murder of long-time friend Aldo Moro, resistance to liturgical reform associated with the Msgr. Marcel Lefebvre, and traditionalist-modernist controversies.
Pope Pius X:
Centenary of Death
The first centenary of the death of Pope Pius X is commemorated with a 2014 €2,00 stamp, issued in a sheet of ten. The stamp contains his statue on his funerary monument in St. Peter's Basilica.
Giuseppe Salto (1903-1914) was known as a pastoral priest, bishop, and pope. elected on the seventh ballot after the death of Pope Leo XIII• taking the name Pius X. At the time of his election he was Cardinal Patriarch of Venice. having previously served as Bishop of Mantua and earlier as a chancellor and director of spiritual life at the seminary at Treviso. The son of a seamstress and village postmaster, Pius X he demonstrated great humility and simplicity during his entire life, including his years as pope.
During his pontificate. traditionalists and modernists clashed over the role of the Church in contemporary society, education, and intellectual inquiry, including theology. Pius promoted frequent communion. reform of church music, improving seminaries and promoting catechetical instruction of adults and children.
Pius was assertive and decisive as pope and he condemned modernist tendencies. This attitude also carried over into foreign policy. The Holy See and the French Republic clashed over the rights of the Church. The Republic reacted by abrogating the 1801 Concordat, anti-Catholic legislation, limiting the Church's role in education, and dispersal of religious orders. Pius X was beatified in 1951 (Scott 145-148) and canonized in 1954 (Scott 182-184).
Fall of the Berlin Wall
25th Anniversary
Christmas 2014
Raúl Soldi
The Christmas €0,85 2014 stamp is a joint issue with Argentina. The design is a painting by Argentinian artist Raid Soldi (1905-1994) from paintings in the Church of Saint Anne in Glew, Buenos Aires. Soldi painted a series of religious scenes covering 250 square meters over the course of 23 summers. The Nativity stamp depicts a manger scene with the Holy Family, the Three Kings, angels, and several knights. The stamp carries the inscription. Nativitas D.N.L Christi MMXIV, and is issued in sheets of ten stamps.
Technical Details:
Scott Catalogue - 1581 - 1581
Date Issued - 21 November 2014
Face Value - €0,85
Perforations - 13.25x15.5
Printing Process - Offset
Printer - Cartor (France)
Max Printed - 150,000
Joint Issue - Argentina
(Author - James C. Hamilton, Source: Vatican Notes, Volume 63, Number 363, pp. 4-6, 2014)
St. John Bosco
Bicentenary of His Birth
The bicentenary of St. John Bosco's birth is marked by a miniature sheet of six €0,80 stamps, a joint issue with Italy. John Bosco (1815-1888) is the founder of the Society of St. Frances De Sales (the Salesians) and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. He is most remembered for his dedication to the education of and support for young people, especially the poor. The stamp design is a modern sketch of the saint, surrounded by abstract figures representing young people. On the miniature sheet's left is a line drawing of the Basilica at Castelnuovo Don Bosco, in Asti, Italy, where he is entombed. Citations from John Bosco are also listed on the left side of the MS, which summarize his loving attitude toward children, such as, "My dear, I love you with all my heart, that you are young and just because I love you very much." Such a statement is emblematic of Don Bosco's insistence that children know that they are loved, combining "education and something of the heart."
Don Bosco is one of the most popular saints of the modern era. At his canonization in 1934, Pope Pius XI named the saint "the father and teacher of youth." St. John Bosco has been commemorated on several previous stamp issues, Scott 49 and 52 (1936), Scott 220 and 222 (1957), and the 1988 triptych, 806a-c. An article on the previous philatelic commemoration of John Bosco was published in the Second Quarter 2015 issue of Vatican Notes.
Europa 2015
Old Toys
Vatican City's first Europa issue appeared in 1969 (Scott 470-472). A second common design was issued in 2000 (Scott 1152). Except for 2000, since 1974 Europa issues follow a common topic or theme, rather than a common design. In 2015 the Europa theme is Old Toys.
The €0,80 stamp depicts three papal Gendarmes in uniforms from the Napoleonic era and worn until 1965. One of the soldiers carries the yellow and white papal ensign. The 60,95 value depicts two Pontifical Swiss Guards in formal dress uniform, one guard holding a drum, the other standing at attention with a halberd. The Dome of St. Peter's Basilica is shown in the background. Both stamp designs display other toys associated with a bygone era. The two stamps were designed by artist Stefano Morn and are issued in sheets of ten stamps.
Technical Details:
Scott Catalogue - 1591 - 1592
Date Issued - 19 May 2015
Face Value - €0,80, €0,95
Perforations - 13.66x13.77
Printing Process - Offset
Printer - Printex (Malta)
Max Printed - 250,000
(Author - James C. Hamilton, Source - Vatican Notes: Volume: 63 Issue: 365 Page: 4-6)
Christmas 2015
Codices Urbinates Latini 239
The 2015 Nativity stamps include miniatures from the Codices Urbinates Latini 239 (1477-1478), housed in the Vatican Library.
A codice is a book with handwritten text and illustrations. The two stamps are printed in sheets of ten. The €0.80 value depicts the traditional Nativity scene with the Holy Family, a stable, animals, and angels. The €0.95 value focuses only on the Holy Family. The Italian countryside is depicted in the background.
UFN also issued a four-stamp booklet of the €0.95 value in a folder with a design featuring angels against a starry background. The stamps are issued in sheets of ten.
Christmas 2016
Andrea & Giovanni della Robbia
The 2016 Natale issue contains a €0,95 value depicting the Holy Family with St. Francis and St. Anthony of Padua. The €1,00 stamp is a detail of the Baby Jesus. The designs are based upon the glazed terracotta work of Andrea della Robbia (€0,95) and his son, Giovanni della Robbia (€1,00), with the original art work at the Franciscan Sanctuary of La Verna (Tuscany). The stamps are printed in sheets of ten. A Nativity Prestige Booklet is also issued containing four of the €1,00 stamps. Its front depicts Andrea della Robbia's Annunciation. Della Robbia family-art-on-stamps was covered in the 1st Quarter 2014 issue of Vatican Notes (see reference below).
Christmas 2017
Stefano Morri
Vatican City issued two stamps of different values and a booklet of eight stamps for the 2017 Nativity. These stamps feature Stefano Morri's art and are a joint commemoration with the Principality of Monaco. The €0,95 value depicts the Annunciation, with the Archangel Gabriel presenting a lily to the Blessed Virgin. St. Peter's Basilica and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Monaco are in the background. The €1,00 stamp depicts the Madonna and Child in the foreground with the Vatican City Governorate and the residence of the Prince of Monaco in the distance. The 120,000 stamps were printed in sheets of ten.
60,000 booklets were issued with four sets of the two stamps. The cover of the 26th Christmas booklet contains Stefano Morri's design of the 'Adoration of the Shepherds'.
Christmas 2018
Marcello D'Agata
The 2018 Nativity issue contains two stamps (€1.10 and €1.15) issued in sheets of ten as well as a booklet of four stamps issued in the two face values (€1.10, and €1.15). The stamps are based on Pope Francis' concern for those in prison and for their future. Acknowledging that prisoners serve a sentence for mistakes made, the pope said, but `let us not forget that for punishment to be fruitful there must be a horizon of hope; otherwise, it remains closed in on itself and is simply an instrument of torture; it is not fruitful. Punishment with hope, so it is fruitful". In his homily on 24 December 2017 Francis extolled his listeners to 'embrace the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, the imprisoned (Matthew 25: 35-36). In keeping with that emphasis, a prison inmate (Opera Prison, Milano), Marcello D'Agata designed the two stamps for UFN's Nativity issue. The design features the Annunciation and the Madonna and Child.
Christmas 2019
Pietro Cavallini
The Nativity 2019 is marked with stamps of two values and different designs as well as a booklet containing two of each stamp. The stamp designs are based upon late 13th-century mosaics in Rome's 4th-century Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere by Pietro Cavallini (1259-ca. 1330). The E1.10 stamp depicts the Annunciation while the Nativity is shown on the E1.15 value. The booklet cover displays Cavallini's Adoration of the Magi. The stamps are printed in sheets of ten.
Europa 2020
Ancient Postal Routes
Ancient Postal Routes was the theme for the 2020 Vatican Europa stamp.
The €1.10 stamp depicts an intersection of the Colonia lula (Turin) of its main roads, the Cardo Massimo (north-south direction) and the Deumano Massimo east-west direction) which extended outside the city to its four cardinal points. Most cities had a Cardio Massimo which served as the main street, lined with shops, serving as the center of economic life. The Decumano Massimo served as the secondary street of ancient Roman cities.
The €1.15 value is an illustration of the Colonia Axemais (Terracina) which includes a section of the Appian Way. Terracina is a commune in Latina 67 miles southeast of Rome. The Appian Way was one of the main roads from Rome, extending from the Roman Forum to Brindisi on the southeast coast of the Adriatic Sea.
The ancient maps are located in a 6th-century corpus (collection), included in a 9th-century Vatican Library manuscript (Pal. Lat. 1564). The UFN brochure for this issue states these maps served as a model for an 11th-century Tabula Peutingeriana, an 11th-century road map, with its intersection printed in red. Both are illustrations of the ancient Roman postal system. The stamps were issued in sheets of ten.
Technical Details:
Scott Catalogue - 1742 - 1743
Date Issued - 23 June 2020
Face Value - €1,10, €1,15
Perforations - 40x30mm
Printing Process - Offset
Printer - Cartor (France)
Max Printed - 45,000
(Author - James C. Hamilton, Source: Vatican Notes, Volume 68, Number 385, pp. 4-6, 2020)
2019 Travels Of Pope Francis
50th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between
The Holy See, European Union and
The Council of Europe
Christmas 2020
The Bethlehem Peace Light
The Bethlehem Peace Light is the theme of the two Nativity stamps, issued as €1.10 and €1.15 singles as well as in a miniature sheet and a booklet of four stamps. The stamps and M/S were designed by Austrian artist Kristen Lubach. The Nativity issue is a joint issue with Austria. At Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, a light has burned for centuries, fueled by oil donated by many Christian nations. In recent years a young scout from Austria is selected to draw a flame from the candle, which is then spread throughout the world as a sign of peace and fellowship among peoples.
The €1.10 stamp depicts Pope Francis holding a Lantern of Light from the Church of the Nativity. The €1.15 value depicts the infant Jesus, with the star of Bethlehem, and the Christkindl (Christ Candle) Shrine of Steyer, Austria.
The stamps are individually printed in sheets of ten. The booklet contains two €1.10 and two €1.15 stamps, and the miniature sheet contains one each of the two Nativity stamps.
Easter - 2022
'Risen Christ Holding Hands of 2 Spouses'
by Painter Raúl Berzosa
The Easter of Resurrection 2022 issue also features the theme from the Amoris Laetitia Family Year, in which Pope Francis affirmed that the married life of spouses is a full participation in the Paschal Mystery of Christ and His Resurrection.
The Easter stamp with a face value of € 1,15, designed by the Spanish painter Raul Berzosa, takes inspiration from the Byzantine icon of the descent to the underworld in which Christ is depicted taking by the hand the progenitors of humanity, Adam and Eve. The artist reproduces the Risen Christ holding the hands of two spouses surrounded by the flag of the Resurrection, to signify that they also participate in the Paschal Mystery. In the painting, the face of the Risen Christ is turned towards the bride, to recall that the announcement of the Resurrection was entrusted precisely to a woman, Mary Magdalene, whom for this reason Pope Francis has honored with the title of Apostle of the Apostles.
Technical Details:
Scott Catalogue - 1786 - 1786
Date Issued - 22 February 2022
Face Value - €1,15
Perforations - 13.77x13.66
Printing Process - Offset, 4 colors
Printer - Printex (Malta)
Max Printed - 45,000
(Author - Greg Pirozzi, Source - Vatican Notes: Volume: 70 Issue: 392 Page: 4-6)
Giovanni Battista de Rossi
Bicentenary of His Birth
23 February 2022 marked the second centenary of the birth of Giovanni Battista de Rossi (1822-1894), unanimously considered one of the "founding fathers" of the science of Christian archaeology. He was a Scripter and then in charge of the Vatican Apostolic Library, first secretary of the Commission of Sacred Archaeology, established by Pius IX in 1852. Founder and director of the first specialized journal in the field, the "Bullettino di Archeologia Cristiana", he began the publication and reviewed all the Christian inscriptions of Rome (prior to the seventh century). He was the author of various scientific publications and important books on underground Christian Rome and an in-depth study of the main Roman catacombs that he wrote following important discoveries he himself made.
The Vatican celebrated this important anniversary with a commemorative stamp with a face value of € 2,50, designed by Stefano Morri, in which the figure of Giovanni Battista de Rossi is reproduced in the foreground against the background of the excavation of the Hypogeum of the Flavi in Domitilla.
Technical Details:
Scott Catalogue - 1788 - 1788
Date Issued - 22 February 2022
Face Value - €2,50
Perforations - 13.66x13.77
Printing Process - Offset, 4 colors
Printer - Printex (Malta)
Max Printed - 46,000
(Author - Greg Pirozzi, Source - Vatican Notes: Volume: 70 Issue: 392 Page: 4-6)
10th World Meeting of Families
Rome, Italy
The World Meeting of Families has occurred every three years since 1994 is a gathering of the Roman Catholic Church. Organized by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life protects their rights and dignity in the Church and in civil society, so that can be more able to fulfill their duties. It is thought to be the biggest gathering of Catholic families in the world.
"Family love: a vocation and a path to holiness" was the theme of the 10th World Meeting of Families, the concluding event of the Amoris Laetitia Family Year. Presented by the Holy Father himself, the celebration took place from 22 to 26 June 2022 in Rome, Italy with the aim of nourishing reflection, dialogue and pastoral practice, while also providing courage, encouragement and help to families in their spiritual and concrete everyday lives. In this time of uncertainty and fear, the meeting aims to inspire hope and to initiate rebirth. It will take place in an unprecedented and multicentric form, with local initiatives in dioceses around the world, similar to those that will take place simultaneously in Rome.
The Vatican €1,15 miniature sheet dedicated to the celebration features the Wedding at Cana in Galilee with a symbolic work of this event painted by Jesuit Father Marko Ivan Rupnik.
References
"World Meeting of Families" , Wikipedia.com
Technical Details:
Scott Catalogue - 1798 - 1798
Date Issued - 16 May 2022
Face Value - €1,15
Perforations - 13x13.25
Printing Process - Offset, 4 colors
Printer - Cartor (France)
Max Printed - 25,000
(Author - Greg Pirozzi, edited by VPS Website Team, Source - Vatican Notes: Volume: 70 Issue: 393 Page: 4-6)
Father Paolo Manna
Founder of the Pontifical Missionary Union
150th Anniversary of His Birth
Father Paolo Manna (16 January 1872 – 15 September 1952) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and a member from the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) as well as the founder of the Pontifical Missionary Union. Manna worked in the missions in Burma and even served as the Superior General for PIME. Manna did much in his life to promote the missions and the evangelic and apostolic zeal that accompanied it, and he established newspapers and movements to help promote this charismatic apostolate. He also held several leadership positions in PIME and used that standing in order to further engage with prospective missionaries.
Manna's beatification cause started on 23 August 1973 under Pope Paul VI in which he was titled as a Servant of God while Pope John Paul II both named him as Venerable in 1989 and beatified him in 2001.
A €1,20 stamp was issued by the Vatican to commemorate Father Paolo Manna 150th birthday, where we see him at work at his desk.
Technical Details:
Scott Catalogue - 1807 - 1807
Date Issued - 16 November 2022
Face Value - €1,20
Perforations - 13x13.25
Printing Process - Offset, 4 colors
Printer - Cartor (France)
Max Printed - 40,000
(Author - Greg Pirozzi - Edited by Dennis S Oniszczak, Source - Vatican Notes: Volume: 71 Issue: 395 Page: 4-7
en.wikipedia.org)
Christmas 2022
Franco Canale
The 2022 Christmas stamps revolve around a Shepherd Boy in Bethlehem. On the €1,20 stamp, an angel announces the birth of Jesus to the Shepherd Boy while the €1,25 stamp shows the Sheperd Boy in adoration of Jesus. Almost always, the postage stamp issue dedicated to Christmas also includes a booklet. This is the 31st booklet issued by the Vatican and includes 2 each of the €1,20 and €1,25 of the stamps.
First Group Canonization
400th Anniversary
Aerogramme
On 12 March 1622 in Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, Gregory XV canonized five new Saints: Isidore, the laborer, the Spanish Carmelite Sister Teresa of Avila, Philip Neri, the Italian priest who founded the secular clergy called the Congregation of the Oratory, and the founders of the Society of Jesus, Ignatius of Loyola and Jesuit Father Francis Xavier. Originally, the ceremony was to be only for Isidore, but since in January 1622 the process for the canonization of the other four beatified individuals was almost concluded, the Congregation of Rites decided to celebrate a "multiple" canonization, the first in the history of the Congregation established in 1588. The canonization ceremony was celebrated as a historic event.
Vatican philately issued its Aerogramme 2022 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of this group canonization. The illustration of the aerogramme reproduces the detail of a painting commissioned by notary Antonio Antonacci depicting the five Saints at the bottom of the painting. The work is preserved at the church of the Convent of Santa Maria di Loreto in Toro, Italy. Reproduced in the €2,40 value imprint on the aerogramme is a side of the medal coined for the event, which characterized the second year of Gregory XV's pontificate.
Technical Details:
Scott Catalogue - A60 - A60
Date Issued - 10 March 2022
Face Value - €2,40
Perforations - N/A
Printing Process - 189x293 Unfolded
Printer - Joh Enschede (Holland)
Max Printed - 10,000
(Author - Vatican City Post Office - Edited by Dennis S Oniszczak, Source - Information displayed was modified from the Vatican Post Office website
cfn.va/en/36-philately)
