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<center><img height='300' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/1515.jpg'></center> 
Pope Alexander VII commissioned Bernini to undertake the final design of St. Peter's Square in 1656. After an eleven-year study, Bernini created an oval square with 284 doric columns and travertine pillars, with statues of 140 saints resting on a horizontal entablature above the columns. (Click of the reference below for a list of the 140 saint statues on the Colonnades.) Planning for a restoration project began in 2009 and the work included cleaning and treating the marble, returning the structure to its original splendor. The restoration work was designed to not unduly inconvenience pilgrim and visitors to St. Peter's Square and Basilica.

On 20 November 2012 the Philatelic and Numismatic Office issued two versions of a certificate marking the restoration of the Bernini Colonnade in St. Peter's Square. 
The certificates contain two €10,00 stamps (certificate total €20,00). The certificates allowed UFN customers and those who love art and culture to contribute to the costs of restoration. One version of the certificate included space for an imprint of the name of the contributor to the project. The alternative version bears the Latin inscription, "Officium Philatelicum et Nomismaticum" (Philatelic and Numismatic Office.) The stamps on the certificates have full postal validity. Only 150,000 copies were issued, 93,750 personalized and 56,250 generic certificates. Reference: <a href='http://stpetersbasilica.info/Exterior/Colonnades/Saints-List-Colonnades.htm'>The 140 Saint Statues on the Colonnades</a>

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