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Pope Pius IX (in Italian, Pio IX), was born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti on May 13, 1792, in the port town of Senigallia on Italy's Adriatic coast. He was elected pope on June 16, 1846, at the relatively young age of 54. When he died on February 7, 1878, at age 85, "Pio Nono" had served as the head of the Catholic Church for the longest papal reign (31 years, 7 months and 23 days, a total of 11,560 days), if one does not include the reign of the first pope, Saint Peter.
 
Pope Pius IX was the Bishop of Rome when the Pontifical Postal Service began issuing stamps. In a period of widespread discussion on the temporal power of the Popes, he never wanted his likeness to appear on the postage stamps of the Papal States, but only the symbol of papal authority, that is, the crossed keys surmounted by the tiara. However, some of his story has been told by several Vatican City issues.
 
One of the most significant events of Pius's papacy was his proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, 1854. The Pope's image appeared on three stamps issued by Vatican City on May 26, 1954, to commemorate this event (Scott #176, 178, 180):
 
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<img height='225' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/176.jpg'>
<img height='225' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/178.jpg'>
<img height='225' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/180.jpg'> 
The Dogma of the Immaculate Conception (Scott 176, 178 and 180, 1954)
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In 1869, Saint Peter's Circle was established and approved by Pius IX. Members work in a variety of charitable endeavors in parishes, hospitals, and shelters to aid the poor and needy. In general, it's an institution that supports the Pope with Christian charitable works. The centenary of this organization was celebrated on November 18, 1969, with the issuance of another stamp picturing the Pope (Scott #476):
 
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<img height='225' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/476.jpg'> 
Saint Peter's Circle (Scott 476, 1969)
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Holy Years are generally proclaimed every 25 years; however, the Holy Year of 1850 could not be held because of the unsettled situation in the Roman Republic and the temporary exile of Pius IX. However, this Pope did proclaim the Holy Year 1875, although there was no ceremony of the opening of the Holy Door due to Rome's occupation by the troops of King Vittorio Emmanuele. This Holy Year was remembered February 4, 2000, with another stamp depicting the Pope and a label with his coat of arms (Scott #1144):
 
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<img height='225' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/1144.jpg'> 
Holy Year 1875 (Scott 1144, with label, 2000)
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Pope Pius IX died on February 7, 1878. One hundred years later, a set of stamps from the Vatican featuring his likeness and was issued as part of a set to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his death, issued on May 9, 1978 (Scott #632-634).
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<img height='225' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/632.jpg' >
<img height='225' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/633.jpg' >
<img height='225' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/634.jpg' > 
 Pope Pius IX: Centenary of Death (Scott 632-634, 1978)</center>
 
Obviously, Pope Pius IX accomplished more than the few stamps above have mentioned. In addition to these events, he also: 
<li>Declared an amnesty for political prisoners (1846) 
<li>Ordered that the gates to the Jewish ghetto in Rome be knocked down (1848) 
<li>Declared the dogma of the Immaculate Conception (1854) 
<li>Published the Syllabus of Errors (1864) 
<li>Convoked the First Vatican Council (1868–70), during which the doctrine of papal infallibility was authoritatively defined 
<li>Was the last pope to have temporal power over the Papal States, which fell to the Kingdom of Italy in 1870.
 
This article was based in large part on a piece written by K. Thomas Adkins, which originally appeared in Vatican Notes, Volume 55, Number 5, March 2007, page 23. It has been edited, updated and reformatted for this Daily Email. The original article may be viewed by clicking on the link in the references below.
 
Blessed Pope Pius IX was beatified on September 3, 2000, by Pope John Paul II.
 
One additional historical note on Pope Pius IX was presented in a Daily Email last year. He visited the American frigate USF Constitution in August of 1849, making him the first pope to set foot on American territorial space. This event can be reviewed by clicking on the Daily Email link in the References below.
 
REFERENCES: 
<li>K. Thomas Adkins, Vatican Notes, Volume 55, Number 5, March 2007, page 23, <a href='https://vaticanstamps.org/vaticannotes/idisplay2.php?p=331-23&r=0'>Pope Pius IX: A Philatelic Retrospective</a> 
<li>Thomas Pratuch, Vatican Notes, Volume 66, Number 375, pp. 44-45, 2018, <a href='http://vaticanstamps.org/vaticannotes/idisplay.php?p=66-375-44-45&r=0'>An Archbishop Visits The First Vatican Council</a> 
<li>Lou Giorgetti, VPS Daily Email, <a href='https://www.vaticanstamps.org/cms/P2view.php?id=334267&kw=constitution'>Who Was the First Pope to Set Foot on American Soil?</a> 
<li>Vatican Philatelic Society website, www.vaticanstamps.org, Stamp Database Search
 
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<img height='350' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/stamplist/covers/632-634.jpg'> 
Pope Pius IX: Centenary of Death, Scott 632-634 (1978)
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