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On Tuesday of the First Week of Lent, the Lenten Station Church list calls for a visit to the Roman church of St. Anastasia, possibly named after a Roman Nobel woman whose name was Anastasia. While this church may not have as many stamp-related links as some of the other Lenten Station Churchs, it still has some notorieties that will interest the Vatican stamp collector. Again, we are on the hunt for Lenten Vatican stamp links! This church was originally constructed towards the end of the 4th century, and was enlarged (by order of Pope Leo III) in the year 700 and later reconstructed under Sixtus IV (1478). The ceiling is colorfully decorated with elaborate framed designs (cassetone) and has a central frescoed panel depicting the Martyrdom of Anastasia painted in 1722 by Michelangelo Cerruti. 
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▲ Pictured above are exterior and interior ceiling photos of Sant'Anastasia. St. Jerome is said to have used this church as his parish: there is an ancient altar believed to have been his. The church also has a chalice used by St. Jerome. Pope Damasus (366-384) commissioned an apse fresco in honor of St. Jerome and a few years later incorporated a baptismal font into the church, the first of its kind to be documented in Rome.  Fifth Centenary Of The Death Of Saint Jerome Based On Painting by da Vinci Scott 1716 (2019) 
 Pope St Damasus 1600th Death Anniversary 749-751 (1984) St. Anastasia has a chapel that contains a fresco depicting Scenes from the lives of Saints Carlo Borromeo and Filippo Neri by Lazzaro Baldi. Carlo Borromeo was a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation combat against the Protestant Reformation and was also responsible for significant reforms in the Catholic Church, including the founding of seminaries for the education of priests. I could not find a Vatican stamp for St. Charles Borromeo, but he was a favorite saint of Pope John XXIII. So, I guess we could stretch things a bit and consider Pope John XII a Lenten stamp link. We do, however, have a Vatican stamp for St. Philip Neri, who was known for serving the needs of poor pilgrims who came to Rome. 
 Pope John XII Corrination Stamps Carlo Borromeo was his favorite saint. Scott 250-253 (1959)  St Philip of Neri Scott 995 (1995) St. Anastasia Church was the first church in Rome to have Perpetual Adoration. It is also said to be the only church in Rome that stays open 24 hours a day. Here is another little tidbit about this church that will interest Vatican stamp collectors. In 2000, during World Youth Day (which was being held in Rome that year), 700,000 consecrated hosts were reserved at St. Anastasia Church for Eucharistic celebrations in the Circus Maximus. I wonder how much sacristy space that took? 
Stamps Issued For World Youth Day 2000 
 World Youth Day 2000 (Rome, Italy) Booklet of 8 stamps St. Jerome, Carlo Borromeo (linked with Poop John XIII), Philip Neri, combined with the St. Anastasia's such as firsts like baptismal fonts, Perpetual Adoration, 24-hour church openings and communion preparations for 700,000 people make this church one that can be interesting. ... And there were even some Vatican Lenten stamp links to be found! References • George Weigel, "Tuesday Of The First Week Of Lent - Station at St. Anastasia" Roman Pilgrimage - The Station Churches Basic Books, Copyright 2013, pages 66-71 • Rita Mantone "Saint Anastasis al Palatino" Rome's Original Tituli: A Pilgrim's Guide To The Eternal City's House ChurchesClick-it Write Books, Copyright 2016 (Kindel Version) • Sant'Anastasia al Palatino Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sant%27Anastasia_al_Palatino • James C. Hamilton St Jerome by Leonardo da Vinci Vatican Notes Volume 68 Issue 386 2020 Pages 8 & 9 • Commemorative Issue For The Coronation of Pope John XXIII Vatican Notes Volume 07, Issue 6 (May June 1959) Pages 5-8 • Charles Borromeo Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Borromeo Photographs from Wikipedia articles as cited in the reference section. |
