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Skriven 2005-03-31 08:05:22 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service - Press Release
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Hello All!

                The following press release is Copyrighted by the
                          Vatican Information Service.
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                               VIS-Press releases

VATICAN TO ISSUE NEW STAMPS AND EURO COINS IN APRIL

VATICAN CITY, MAR 31, 2005 (VIS) - The Philatelic and Numismatic Office of the
Governorate of Vatican City on April 5 will issue 300,000 sets of four stamps,
each stamp featuring a detail from the painting, "Resurrection of Christ" by
Perugino, and 120,000 copies of a leaflet featuring the Risen Christ, the
central part of the painting. The series of four stamps costs 3.02 Euro and the
leaflet is 2.80 Euro.

Pietro Vannucci, known as Perugino, painted the altarpiece of the Resurrection
of Christ during a period of only two months in 1499 as a decoration for a
noble family's chapel in the Church of San Francesco al Prato in Perugia. It
remained in its original position until 1797 when Napoleon moved it to Paris.
In 1815 it was returned to what was then the Papal State based on the Congress
of Vienna agreements.

The painting was exhibited in different locations in the new Vatican Picture
Gallery, which was founded by Pope Pius VII in 1816. It remained there until
1964 when Pope Paul VI wanted it to adorn the back wall of the library of the
papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace. Since then, Perugino's "Resurrection
of Christ" has served as the solemn and significant backdrop to many audiences
of pontiffs, especially visiting heads of state or government and new
ambassadors who present their Letters of Credence to the Holy Father, thereby
becoming one of the best-known paintings in the extensive artistic patrimony of
the Church.

On April 28, the Vatican's Euro coins marking the 27th year of the Pontificate
of His Holiness John Paul II will go on sale. The BU series of 8 coins costs 23
Euro whereas the proof version, which also includes a medal of this
pontificate, costs 125 Euro.
SCV/STAMPS:COINS/...VIS 050331 (300)

SUMMARY

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