Hall of the Immaculate Conception
Postcards

Restoration of the Hall of the Immaculate Conception in the Vatican Museums was completed in 2007. Francesco Podesti (1800-1895) completed four frescoes between 1851 and 1865 focusing upon proclamation of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception by Pope Pius IX (1846-1878) in 1854. The four postal cards reproduce details from two of the frescoes, The Proclamation of the Dogma of Immaculate Conception and The Coronation of the Virgin Mary (displayed above.) The cover of the postcard features the Triumphant Church with the Most Holy Trinity, the angels and saints honoring the Immaculate Virgin Mary. Pope Pius IX is seen proclaiming the dogma on the €2,00 postcard. The three other cards feature a fresco entitled An Angel Hunting Heretics (€0,60), Uniformed Swiss Guards (€0,75), and a Woman and Child (€1,60). Podesti also frescoed octagonal scenes on the ceiling in the Hall of the Immaculate Conception using Old Testament and allegorical subjects. The postal indicia includes four of these scenes, The Family of Moses Saved from the Water, Judith and Holofernes, Doctrine, and Faith. Technical Details: Scott Catalogue - P185 - P188d Date Issued - 02 September 2011 Face Value - €0,60 €0,75 €1,60 €2,00, , , , Perforations - N/A Printing Process - card Printer - Tipografia Vaticana, Rome Max Printed - 21,000

(Source - Vatican Notes: Volume: 59 Issue: 350 Page: 4-9)