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<center>
<img height='250' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/223.jpg'>
<img height='250' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/224.jpg'> 
<img height='250' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/225.jpg'>
<img height='250' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/226.jpg'> 
Fifth Centenary of Capranica College Scott 223-226 (1957)</center>
 
On June 27, 1957, Vatican City issued the four-stamp set illustrated above to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the founding of the Almo Collegio Capranica, or Capranica College. It is the oldest college in Rome.
 
The founder of the College was Cardinal Domenico Capranica, who was born in Capranica in the province of Prenestina in 1400. By the age of 23, he had been ordained a priest, and then was created Cardinal by Pope Martin V. Due to his young age, his elevation to Cardinal was not published until 1430. As a result of controversies surrounding conflicts with his enemies, his cardinalate was nullified by Pope Martin’s successor, Pope Eugene IV. He was eventually reinstated as Cardinal in 1432.
 
The College was founded on the grounds of Cardinal Capranica’s palace in Rome. Opened in 1457, the first class at the College consisted of 31 students (16 enrolled in theology and 15 in canon law). The Cardinal personally drew up the constitutions for the school, which serve as the models for other colleges of this genre. He also donated his library to the school. The patron saint of the College is Saint Agnes, an early martyr of the Church. The main chapel on the college campus is the Chapel of Saint Agnes, believed to be the oldest church dedicated to the saint.
 
The College’s website lists several graduates that the school entitles Figures of Holiness. Prominent graduates from the 19th and 20th centuries include Monsignor Joseph Edward Flanagan (the founder of Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska), Blessed Monsignor Luigi Novarese (who was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2013) and two future popes: Giacomo Paolo della Chiasa (the future Pope Benedict XV) and Eugenio Pacelli (the future Pope Pius XII).
 
The four stamps of the Capranica College issue share two designs. The 5- and 35-lire values are identical images depicting Cardinal Capranica, his coat of arms and a view of the College. The 10- and 100-lire values feature the profile image of Pope Pius XII and the statement Pius XII P.M. Capranicense Collegium Revisit XXI-I-MCMLVII, which roughly translates to Pope Pius XII Capranica College Revisit January 21, 1957. The stamps commemorate Pope Pius XII’s return to the College on its 500th anniversary. The YouTube reference below contains a link to newsreel footage from the visit. Here is a photo from the visit:
 
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<img height='350' src='https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Pius_XII_blessing_bugia_collegio_capricana_1_21_1957_1.jpg'> 
Pius XII giving a blessing at the 
Almo Collegio Capranica, January 21, 1957 
From Wikimedia Commons, in the public domain</center
 
One philatelic challenge tied to these stamps is the short period of validity for this issue. Released on June 27, the stamps were only valid for use until December 31, 1957, a period of just over six months, making covers franked with these stamps hard to find.
 
REFERENCES: 
<li>Youtube, <a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMnb0uBYTg0'>The Pope Visits His Old College</a> 
<li>Wikipedia, <a href= 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almo_Collegio_Capranica#:~:text=The%20Almo%20Collegio%20Capranica%20is,prepare%20them%20for%20the%20priesthood'>Almo Collegio Capranica</a> 
<li>Capranica College website, <a href='https://www.collegiocapranica.info/storia-2/figure-di-santita/'>Figures of Holiness</a> 
<li>Lou Giorgetti, Vatican Notes, Volume 70, Number 392, pp. 40-51, 2022, <a href= 'https://vaticanstamps.org/vaticannotes/idisplay.php?p=70-392-40-41&r=0'>Vatican City: Collegio Capranica</a> 
<li>Anonymous, Vatican Notes, Volume 9, Number 3, November - December 1960, pp. 9 - 10, <a href='https://www.vaticanstamps.org/vaticannotes/archives/VaticanNotes056.pdf'>Capranica College</a> 
<li>Vatican Philatelic Society website, www.vaticanstamps.org, Stamp Database Search

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