Home
On May 20, 1971, the Vatican Postal Administration issued two stamps in se-tenant to commemorate the sixth centenary of the return of Pope Gregory XI to Rome from Avignon. A fresco by the distinguished Italian painter and architect Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574) was selected as the subject for this issue. The fresco is located in the Vatican's Sala Regia of the Apostolic Palace. The 170L value reproduces the portion of the fresco depicting Saints Peter and Paul in the sky and the faithful greeting the returning pope. The 350L stamp shows the remaining portion of the fresco, with the pope being carried by women on a portable throne. Saint Catherine of Siena is depicted walking alongside, pointing the way. The stamps, designed and engraved by Francesco Tulli, are vertical in format and measure 24 x 40 mm. with a 14 perforation. POSTE VATICANE is printed across the top of the stamps and the value placed on the bottom corner. The words GREGORIO XI 1377-1977 are inscribed vertically on the side of the stamps. A total of 1,250,000 complete sets were printed, and distributed in sheets containing 25 sets in vertical rows of alternating values. Printing was done by copper engraving in black on white glossy paper by the State Polygraphic Institute in Rome, Italy. The return of the Holy See to Rome has been credited to two women saints. St. Bridget of Sweden, founder of the Brigettine Order, who came to Avignon to warn Urban V of calamity, and the prophetic warnings and incessant pleas of an Italian nun, St. Catherine of Siena. Petrarch, the celebrated Italian poet living in Avignon, also begged the popes for many years to return to Rome. Finally, in the year 1377, Pope Gregory XI was persuaded to move the Papacy from Avignon to Rome, ending an era of nearly 70 years of "Avignon Captivity". The move was vehemently opposed by the majority of the Cardinals, who were of French origin. On the other hand, Italy resented the presence of a French pope in Rome and the people became very inhospitable on Gregory's return. After the Holy See was returned to Rome, Avignon was still ruled by the Church through Papal Legates. Two antipopes took up residence there over the following years: Clement VII from 1378 to 1394, then Benedict XIII from 1394-1423. There were seven Popes who headed the Holy See in Avignon, all of French origin: Clement V, John XXII, Benedict XII, Clement VI, Innocent VI, Urban V and Gregory XI. Most Avignonese Popes ruled the city with an iron hand and in the most corrupt manner. Oppressive taxation and other financial dealings afforded the Princes of the Church to live in supreme comfort and elegance and allowed them to entertain in the most lavish fashion. Benedict XII, the first Pope to consider Avignon as a permanent seat of the Holy See, built the official papal residence where costs were not spared. The old papal palace, as it was later known, scrupulously reflected the Romanesque style of Benedict's Cisternian order. Clement VI later added a new palace in the elaborate Gothic style, which included a huge Banquet Hall nearly 160 feet long. The Papal Council Chamber, also known as the Consistory, had the Great Courtyard leading to the chamber. Splendid frescos, tapestries and paintings lavishly adorned the palace interiors. Avignon is located in the south of France in Provence about 60 miles from Marseilles. It is situated high on a bend of the river Rhone and it rises like a massive and elegant stone pile. Within the three-mile walled city of many winding streets, the Papal Palace soars 190 feet above the town and dominates the formidable multi-towered fortress-palace. Built on a giant rock, it sprawls over an area covering four miles. Avignon was not considered an important center until the Papal See made it famous, although many factions fought endless battles to gain control of the city. Avignon flourished under Roman rule and later was annexed to the Kingdom of Burgandy. It became an independent republic or commune upon the fall of the Kingdom. Avignon was purchased in 1348 by Clement VI from Joan I, the Queen of Naples and a Frenchwoman from Provence. It remained the property of the Church until 1791 when it was seized by the French National Assembly during the revolution. Avignon was not French soil; it belonged to Vassals of the Pope for many years. The holiness the city represented was also reflected on city houses; corner walls located at intersections often displayed beautifully executed niches with statues of Saints. Prior to the transfer of the Papacy to France, the Popes resided in the famous Lateran Palace in Rome, which had been erected by Laterano Planizio during the times of Nero. Upon return of the Pope to Rome, the Vatican Palace was chosen as the new residence, primarily because the Lateran Palace was rendered to ruins and also because the St. Angelo castle, the papal stronghold, was nearby. The decision to move the Papal Court to Avignon, France was triggered by the endless bloody strifes between the Guelphs and Ghibellines, two opposing factions that nearly mangled Italy for two centuries. The Guelphs were Germans of Italian origin, comprising the peasantry of several Italian cities. They were engaged in the struggles between Emperors and Popes. The Ghibellines were comprised mainly of imperialistic families of the nobility and petty tyrants of another group of Italian cities. The latter group favored submission of Italy to the Empire. Continual splits were common among the smallest groups within the Guelphs or Ghibellines, perpetuating feuds and bloodshed. Dante condemned these factions as "perturbators of the peace in Italy." (Condensed from the article "Stamps note return of Papacy to Rome" by the Editor for the July 18, 1977, edition of Linn's Stamp News). Technical Details: Scott Catalogue - 613 - 614 Date Issued - 20 May 1977 Face Value - 170 l, 350 l Perforations - 14 Printer - Polygraph Institute of the Italian State |
| (From Vatican Notes Volume XXVI, Number 2, October - December 1977, Pages 3-5) |
