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<tr><td colspan=3 align='center'><b>Church of San Miniato al Monte * St Minias Depicted on the Postal Indicia <br>P216&P216b (2018)</b>
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<tr><td colspan=2 align='center'><b>Minias Thrown Into a Furnace, Eventually Beheaded <br> P219a & P218a (2018)</b>
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Visitors to Florence, Italy may have seen the picturesque Romanesque Church of San Miniato al Monte located on one of the highest points in the city. Construction of the church began in 1013. <br><br> 
St Minias (Miniato) is Florence’s first saint but he is a figure shrouded in history and legend. He is said to have been an Armenian prince who made a mid-third century pilgrimage to Italy and decided to become a hermit at Firenze. He refused to sacrifice to Roman gods during Emperor Decius’ persecution (249-251).  Minias was tortured by being stoned, thrown into a furnace and to panthers in an amphitheater, but escaped from harm until he was beheaded near the present Piazza della Signora, whereupon, he picked up his head and carried it back across the Arno River to his hermitage on the Monte di Firenze. He is buried in the crypt of the 11th century basilica. <br><br>
The saint and the Florentine church are featured on the 2018 set of Vatican City postal cards. These cards feature frescoes drawn from the life and death of the saint as well as the façade of the church. St. Minias is depicted on the postal indicia. <br><br>
This writer, his wife, and a colleague climbed an exhausting long winding stone stairway from the Piazzale Michelangelo leading up to the Church in 2001 only to discover, when arriving at the summit, a much less taxing route accessible by taxi and busses. <br><br>
The Benedictine Olivetans are responsible for the monastery at the site and are famous for liqueurs, honey, and herbal teas offered for sale to visitors.<br><br>
<b>Article Link:</b><br> • James C. Hamilton, <a 
href='http://vaticanstamps.org/vaticannotes/idisplay.php?p=67-379-04-05&r=0'>“Vatican City New Issues: Nov & Dec 2018”</a><br> Vatican Notes, Vol. 67, No. 379, p. 5-6 (2018)

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