| Philatelic Bureaux |
| |
| |
| Contact us When composing an e-mail to us, remove the 'xxx' in the front of the e-mail address before posting. Why?  |
26.05.2004     First Day Covers:  a b2 stamps: Issue Date: 26 May 2004 Colour: black-brown, yellow, red, green, blue Printing stamp: Recess print from flat plates Printing FDC: Recess print from flat plates Image size: 40 x 260 mm Design: CZK 12.00: The Holy Mountain near Pribram CZK 14.00: Svaty Hostyn over Bystrice pod Hostynem Sheet: 8 stamps Graphic Artist: Antonin Odehnal Engraver: Vaclav Fajt Printer: Post Printing House in Prague Subjects of the FDC's: Statuette of Our Lady & Drawing of Our Lady With the Christ-child. On the 26th May, 2004 the Ministry of Communications of the Czech Republic issued two commemorative postage stamps of the series Beauties of Our Country: The Holy Mountain, a vast site above the town of Pribram, is among the most famous places of pilgrimage in the Czech Republic. The Shrine of the Virgin Mary, one of the most precious buildings of the early Czech baroque, became gradually surrounded by a set of buildings. The author of the entire design is the architect Carlo Lurago. The site is connected with the town of Pribram by a 400 meters long sheltered masonry stairway built in 1728 and designed by K.I. Dienzenhofer. The history of the Holy Mountain goes back to the Middle Ages. A gothic chapel was erected on the hill top. In the 17th century it passed to the Jesuits and became a destination of pilgrims. As the chapel could not shelter the growing numbers of pilgrims a new shrine of the Virgin Mary was built in the second half of the 17th century, with three arcade chapels on the front side and further three ones on the western side. The shrine is encircled by a pillared archway with four corner chapels and a belfry and a couple of portalled entrances, called Prague and Breznice portals. The archway boasts a carillon and rich stucco decorations and mural paintings in the chapels. The shrine opens to a 3 meter high platform with 4 staircases and a ballustrade decorated with 62 statues and vases. The 50 centimeters high statue of the Virgin Mary, cut of pear wood, is stands on a silver altar. The ceremony of coronation by the bishop suffragan, Count Rudolf Spork, took place in the summer of 1732. This famous pilgrim's place in Moravia overlooks the town of Bystrice pod Hostynem. According to a legend the Hostyn hill became a refuge for people fleeing from Tartar hords in 1241. The refugees were saved by a miracle. The hill is said to be the place of abode of an army, waiting asleep and ready to start out to defend Moravia from its enemies. The hill top still displays marks of prehistoric fortifications. One of the foundation stones in the National Theatre Prague came from Hostyn. The baroque pilgrim's shrine of the Virgin Mary was erected in 1721-48. Further constructions in the late 19th century included the monastery, the chapel of Jan Sarkander and the pilgrim's church. The shrine is connected with the Water Chapel by a communication way of 250 stairs, with two Ways of the Cross. The coronation of the statues of the Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus with crowns consecrated by the pope Pius X took place in 1912. In August 1982 pope John Paul 11 granted the shrine the title of basilica. The author of the design of the issue was ac. painter and graphic artist Antonin Odehnal, the engravings were the work of ac. painter and graphic artist Vaclav Fajt. The stamps, sized 40 x 26 mm were printed by the Post Printing House in Prague by recess print from flat plates in printing sheets of 8 stamps . There are 2 First Day Covers incl. commemorative cancellations printed by recess print from flat plates. The cachet of the cover with affixed CZK 12.00 stamp (a) is the statuette of Our Lady in one of the mantelets, which is she put into several times a year at festal occasions; the cachet of the cover with the affixed CZK 14.00 stamp (b) is a drawing of Our Lady with the Christ-child who allegedly saved the Moravians from tatar raiders. The covers were printed by recess print from flat plates in redbrown (a) and grey (b). The stamps are valid for inland and international postage from 26th May, 2004.
| ||
