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Recipient

Rev. Gerard M. Landrey, S.J.

Date

1949-12-21

Description

In December 1949, Vatican City issued a set of eight stamps in commemoration of the Holy Year of 1950. The entire set consists of four different designs, each repeated on two stamps. Holy Years occur every twenty-five or fifty years and are considered times of jubilee and pardon for sins. Designed by N. Ena, the illustration on this grey-blue and green 10-lire value stamp was also repeated on the 60-lire value in scarlet and deep brown. It depicts Pope Pius XII (1939-1958) opening the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica on Christmas Eve 1949, an act symbolizing the start of a Holy Year. The stamp is inscribed 'Poste Vaticane' and 'Anno Santo MCML' (Holy Year, 1950) and carries the winged wheel watermark. A total of 550,000 stamps were printed for Holy Year 1950 by photogravure at the Italian State Printers in Rome.

Notes

Father Gerard M. Landrey was born in Boston, MA in 1902 to Joseph and Elizabeth Landrey. He received a Bachelor's and Master's degree from Boston College and a Master's degree from College of the Holy Cross. He earned a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from Weston College, now part of Boston College. As a chemistry and mathematics teacher, he was among the first faculty at Fairfield Prep in 1942-1943. In 1950, he joined the faculty of Fairfield University to teach Chemistry. In 1953 he left Fairfield to teach chemistry at Boston College. Father Landrey died in 1995 in Weston, MA.

Type

First Day Cover

Original Format

This stamp is perforated 14 x 14 and measures 3 cm x 4 cm.

Collection

Rev. Gerard M. Landrey, S.J. First Day Cover Collection

Repository

Fairfield University Archives and Special Collections

Identifier

FDC-VaticanHolyYear1950

Vatican City Holy Year 1950 10-lire stamp

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