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On December 14, 1959, Vatican City issued two sets of stamps. One set was the first set of Christmas stamps issued by the State, and these stamps were presented in yesterday's Daily E-Mail. A second set of two stamps was also issued to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the birth of Saint Casimir, the patron saint of Lithuania, as well as Poland and Russia. Casimir was born in 1458 in Krakow in present-day Poland. Casimir was the third child and the second son of the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, Casimir IV. In his early life, Casimir and his brother Vladislaus were educated by the Polish priest Father Jan Dlugosz, a strict and conservative teacher who focused on ethics, morality, and religious devotion. At the age of 13, Casimir participated in a failed military campaign to install him as King of Hungary. His father, upset by the failure, confined his son for three months, during which time young Casimir decided to never again be involved in the wars and politics of his day. He committed to a life of prayer and study, and became known for his piety, devotion to God, and generosity towards the sick and poor. Casimir became ill in 1483 and died at the young age of 25. A cult of Casimir quickly grew following his death. In 1514, his canonization was initiated by his brother, King Sigismund I, although he was not formally canonized until 1604 by Pope Leo X. His remains lie at the Vilnius Cathedral in Lithuania. In addition to today’s stamp issue, the 500th anniversary of Saint Casimir’s death is also commemorated on Vatican City stamps, issued in 1984 and shown below:
An interesting side note to the two Saint Casimir stamp issues is that both sets were designed by American artists. The 1959 issue shown at the top of the article was designed by V.K. Jonynas, and were the first Vatican stamps designed by a non-Italian artist. An interesting article from Vatican Notes, written in 1960 by famed philatelic author and VPS member Ernest Kehr, profiles Jonynas and reviews the Saint Casimir issue. It can be accessed by clicking the link under “References”. The 1984 issue was also designed by an American, Romas Viesulas, a professor of art at Temple University. An article related to that issue is also referenced below, from Vatican Notes in 1984. References: Kehr, Ernest, Vatican Notes, Volume 8, Number 4, pages 9-12, 1960, A New Name in Designers of Vatican Stamps Anonymous, Vatican Notes, Volume 32, Number 6, page 4, 1984, Saint Casimir of Lithuania Wikipedia.com, Saint Casimir Franciscan Media, Saint of the Day, Saint Casimir Vatican Philatelic Society website (www.vaticanstamps.org), Stamp Database Search | ||||||||||||||||||
