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On June 18, 1984, Vatican City released a set of four stamps honoring the "cultural and scientific institutions of the Holy See". Presented below are the stamps of this series and photographs of the subjects that inspired the stamps. 
 The Pontifical Academy of Sciences (Scott 733, 150 lire) has existed in Rome since 1603. Its mission is to "honour pure science, by guaranteeing its liberty and fostering research". It is located in the Casina of Pius IV on the grounds of the Vatican. The photo above shows the courtyard of the Casina, and the stamp above shows an external view of the facility, with the dome of Saint Peter's Basilica in the distance. 
 The Vatican Secret Archives (Scott 734, 450 lire) was established by Pope Paul V between 1611 and 1614. The photo above shows a document from the archives where Frederick II, King of Sicily, swears an oath to Pope Honorius III, dated to 1219. The stamp depicts seals on a document preserved in the Archives, similar to the one seen on the document from 1219. The title "Secret Archives" always conjured up ideas of mystery and intrigue regarding the workings of the Holy See. In 1881, Pope Leo XIII permitted free access to the archives so scholars could conduct historical research. An underground extension to the Archives was constructed during the pontificate of Pope Paul VI under the Courtyard of the Pinecone and was later inaugurated by Pope John Paul II. In 2019, Pope Francis decreed that the name should be changed to its present title, the "Vatican Apostolic Archives". 
 The Vatican Apostolic Library (Scott 735, 550 lire) was founded by Pope Sixtus IV in 1475. It was later expanded by Pope Sixtus V (reigning from 1585 to 1590), who ordered its construction at the current site. In 1809, Napoleon Bonaparte seized the contents of the library seized and moved them to Paris. Fortunately, they were returned to the Vatican in 1817, following Napoleon's fall from power. The Library is located inside the Vatican Palace, and its entrance, shown in the stamp above, is through the Belvedere Courtyard. The statue shown is believed to be of Saint Hippolytus. In 1883, it was once again Pope Leo XIII who was responsible for expanding access by reopening the Library for academic research. The Library houses close to 2,000,000 printed works. 
 The Vatican Observatory (Scott 736, 1500 lire) is located at the extraterritorial space at the Papal Palace at Castelgandolfo. It is the oldest functioning astronomical institution in Europe, established by Pope Gregory XIII in 1576. The Observatory was first based in the Roman College in the city of Rome, but then moved to the walls on the edge of Vatican City in 1891. It once again moved, to its present location, in 1961. The observatory also operates a telescope at the Mount Graham International Observatory in the Arizona. In addition to the stamps of this issue, these institutions have been honored on other Vatican City stamps and aerogrammes over the years. In 2007, VPS President Greg Pirozzi presented a four-part study of these institutions. It provides an in-depth review of each of the sites, and includes a look at the postal history tied to these great institutions. The reader can access these articles by clicking on the links in the reference section below. REFERENCES: * Pontifical Academy of Sciences: Courtyard of the Casina Pio IV, Photo by Gabriella Clare Marino, used under the terms of the the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license * Vatican Secret Archives: Photograph in the Public Domain * Vatican Apostolic Library: Statue of Saint Hippolytus, Photo by Martin Morard, used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license * Vatican Observatory at Castel Gandolfo: Photo by Gilles DeMeerleer, used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license |
