Our Lady of La Salette 15.8.2002

Our Lady of La Salette is a Marian apparition reported by two children, Maximin Giraud and Mélanie Calvat  to have occurred at La Salette-Fallavaux, France, in 1846.

On 19 September 1851, Pope Pius IX formally approved the public devotion and prayers to Our Lady of La Salette, referring to its messages of apparition as "secrets". On 24 August 1852, Pope Pius IX once again mentioned the construction of the altar to La Salette. The same papal bull granted the foundation of the Association of Our Lady of La Salette, formalised on 7 September.

On 21 August 1879, Pope Leo XIII formally granted a Canonical Coronation to the image at the Basilica of Our Lady of La Salette. A Russian style tiara was granted to the image, instead of the solar-type tiara used in its traditional depictions of Virgin Mary during her apparitions.

Neufchâteau Vosges 12.10.2002

Neufchâteau is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France.

Inhabitants are called Néocastriens.

The Church of St. Nicolas, (shown on the stamp and cover). Church of Saint Nicholas of Neufchâteau, Lorraine, France, built in  Romanesque and Gothic style. Renaissance tomb and altars are from the XVIIIth c.

Monaco Cathedral Choir 100th Anniversary 5.4.2004

Monaco 2004 Cathedral Choir 100th Anniversary 1 value depicting Cathedral Building, Choirboy and Emblem - 

Founded in 1974 as a part of Monaco Cathedral Choir, and placed under the High Patronage H.S.H. Prince Albert II, Monaco Boys Choir contribute to showcase the Principality’s historic association with culture and the performing arts.

The first known traces of a vocal group with children’s voices date back in the XVIIIth century, to the reign of Prince Antoine 1st. This group, whose mission was to ensure the execution of liturgies at the Palatine Chapel, may be considered as the ancestor of the future “Choir of the Monaco Cathedral”.

Churches and Cathedrals in Holland 26.3.1985

(50+20c) Saint Martin’s Church, Zaltbommel

Zaltbommel is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands.

St Martin’s church in Zaltbommel Is one of the best preserved examples of Lower Rhenish Late Gothic, an architectural style which can be found along the Rhine from Xanten in Germany downstream to Zaltbommel. The design is attributed to Gisbert Schairt who was born in Zaltbommel. Both the tower and the church were mainly built in the 15^th century.

(70+30c)The Roman Catholic Cathedral Church of St. John of 's-Hertogenbosch, North Brabant 

The Roman Catholic Cathedral Church of St. John (Sint-Janskathedraal) of 's-Hertogenbosch, North Brabant is the height of gothic architecture in the Netherlands. It has an extensive and richly decorated interior, and serves as the cathedral for the bishopric of 's-Hertogenbosch.

Saint-Génis-des-Fontaines Abbey 24.1.1976

Saint-Génis-des-Fontaines Abbey is a Benedictine abbey in Saint-Génis-des-Fontaines, Pyrénées-Orientales, France. It was dedicated to Saint Genesius and Saint Michael, to whom the surviving church is still dedicated.

Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg 23.1.1971

Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg, also known as Strasbourg Minster, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Strasbourg, Alsace, France. Although considerable parts of it are still in Romanesque architecture, it is widely considered to be among the finest examples of high, or late, Gothic architecture. Erwin von Steinbach is credited for major contributions from 1277 to his death in 1318.

At 142 metres (466 feet), it was the world's tallest building from 1647 to 1874 (227 years), when it was surpassed by St. Nikolai's Church, Hamburg. Today it is the sixth-tallest church in the world and the highest extant structure built entirely in the Middle Ages.

Described by Victor Hugo as a "gigantic and delicate marvel",  and by Goethe as a "sublimely towering, wide-spreading tree of God",  the cathedral is visible far across the plains of Alsace and can be seen from as far off as the Vosges Mountains or the Black Forest on the other side of the Rhine. Sandstone from the Vosges used in construction gives the cathedral its characteristic pink hue.

Abbey Church of Saint-Savin sur Gartempe 29.6.1969

Known as the 'Romanesque Sistine Chapel', the Abbey-Church of Saint-Savincontains many beautiful 11th- and 12th-century murals which are still in a remarkable state of preservation.

The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Amiens 22.2.1969

The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Amiens (French: Basilique Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens), or simply Amiens Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral and seat of the Bishop of Amiens (currently Jean-Luc Bouilleret). It is situated on a slight ridge overlooking the River Somme in Amiens, the administrative capital of the Picardy region of France, some 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Paris. It is the 19th largest church in the world.

The cathedral was built between 1220 and c.1270 and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. Although it has lost most of its original stained glass, Amiens Cathedral is renowned for the quality and quantity of early 13th-century Gothic sculpture in the main west façade and the south transept portal, and a large quantity of polychrome sculpture from later periods inside the building.

Thank you Merja.

St-Madeleine-Church-at-Troyes 7.10.1967

The stamp shows a Stained-glass-window-of-St-Madeleine-Church-at-Troyes.

From the outside, this church is not imposing. But when you enter, you will see straight ahead why it is well worth a visit. Ste-Madeleine holds one of the last intact rood screen in the world and it is stunning. Rood screens, which the Catholic Church began removing in the 17th century, were elaborate iron, wood or marble constructions designed to separate the sanctuary from the nave visually and physically. The idea was that the altar was too sacred to allow common people to approach it. As a result of the Catholic Counter-Reformation, this concept fell into well-deserved disfavor. Unfortunately, instead of just removing these wonders and putting them somewhere else, most all of them were just destroyed by being parceled out for the sculptures, metals, whatever. The Crucifixes at the top of the screens, however, were usually reinstalled behind or above the altars. The rood screen at Ste-Madeleine is just about the height of late Medieval or early Renaissance art.
Thank you Merja for this nice cover.

Centenary of St. Andrew's Monastry 8.11.1967

The stamp on the FDC was issued to commemorate the Centenary of St. Andrew's Monastry (1867-1967). The stamp depicts a mosaic of St. Andrew.

Cypriot tradition holds that a ship which was transporting Saint Andrew went off course and ran aground. Upon coming ashore, Andrew struck the rocks with his staff at which point a spring of healing waters gushed forth. Using it, the sight of the ship's captain, who had been blind in one eye, was restored. Thereafter, the site became a place of pilgrimage and a fortified monastery stood there in the 12th century, from which Isaac Comnenus negotiated his surrender to Richard the Lionheart. In the 15th century, a small chapel was built close to the shore. The main monastery of the current church dates to the 18th century.

Apostolos Andreas Monastery is a monastery dedicated to Saint Andrew situated just south of Cape Apostolos Andreas, which is the north-easternmost point of the island of Cyprus, in Rizokarpason in the Karpass Peninsula. The monastery is an important site to the Cypriot Orthodox Church. It was once known as 'the Lourdes of Cyprus', served not by an organized community of monks but by a changing group of volunteer priests and laymen. Both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities consider the monastery a holy place. As such, it is visited by many people for votive prayers.

Thank you Merja.

Chancelade Abbey 20.6.1970

Chancelade Abbey (Abbaye Notre-Dame de Chancelade) is an Augustinian monastery in Chancelade in the Dordogne. It was founded in 1129.

The abbey was damaged by English troops in the 14th century during the Hundred Years' War and again by Protestants in the 16th century during the French Wars of Religion.

Alain de Solminihac (beatified in 1981 by John Paul II) had the abbey restored in 1623. He was consecrated abbot of Chancelade by Urban VIII in 1636.

Economist Nicolas Baudeau taught theology at the abbey.

Lodève Cathedral 13.11.1978

Lodève Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Fulcran de Lodève) is a church in Lodève, Hérault, southern France, a typical example of local Gothic architecture. Lodève is an ancient town of Celtic origin, situated at some distance from the Mediterranean coast, at the foot of the mountains of the Languedoc-Roussillon region, about 45 kilometres north-west of Montpellier. The former Diocese of Lodève, probably founded towards the end of the 4th century, was suppressed during the French Revolution, and was not restored; its territory was instead attached to the Diocese, later Archdiocese, of Montpellier. The See of Lodève was restored in 1877 in the person of the Bishop of Montpellier.

The former seat of the Bishops of Lodève, the cathedral was classed a national historical monument in 1840.

The Royal Abbey of Our Lady of Fontevraud 3.6.1978

The Royal Abbey of Our Lady of Fontevraud or Fontevrault is a complex of religious buildings hosting a cultural centre since 1975, the Centre Culturel de l'Ouest, in the village of Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, near Chinon, in Anjou, France. It was founded in 1101 by the itinerant preacher Robert of Arbrissel. The foundation flourished and became the center of a new monastic Order, the Order of Fontevrault. This order was composed of double monasteries, in which the community consisted of both men and women--in separate quarters of the abbey--all of which were subject to the authority of the Abbess of Fontevraud. The Abbey of Fontevraud itself consisted of four separate communities, all completely managed by the same abbess.

The first permanent structures were built between 1110 and 1119. Then located within what is sometimes referred to as the Angevin Empire, the King of England, Henry II, his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and son, King Richard the Lionheart were buried here at the end of the 12th century. Disestablished as a monastery during the French Revolution, it served as a prison from 1804 to 1963.

It is situated in the Loire Valley, an UNESCO World Heritage Site between Chalonnes-sur-Loire and Sully-sur-Loire, and is within the Loire-Anjou-Touraine French regional natural park (Parc naturel régional Loire-Anjou-Touraine).

Saint-Amand Abbey 17.9.1977

Saint-Amand Abbey (Abbaye de Saint-Amand), once known as Elno, Elnon or Elnone Abbey, is a former Benedictine abbey in Saint-Amand-les-Eaux, Nord, France.

 The abbey was founded sometime in the 630s in what was once a great tract of uninhabited land in the Vicoigne Forest between the Scarpe and the brook called the Elnon, from which the monastery took its first name, Elnon(e) Abbey. The founder was Saint Amand of Maastricht, under the patronage of Dagobert I. The name of the saint eventually became applied both to the abbey and the village that grew up round it.

Apart from its considerable effect on the landscape, the abbey became a major centre of study during the Carolingian Renaissance. Notable members of the community included Milo of Saint-Amand, author of aLife of Saint Amand, and his nephew, Hucbald of Saint-Amand, a noted music theorist and composer.

The abbey was totally destroyed by the Normans at the end of the 9th century. Although rebuilt, it was frequently destroyed by fire and the incidents of war, and was not completely restored until the 17th century, to an ambitious and much-admired plan implemented by Abbot Nicolas du Bois.

In 1672, Dom Mabillon discovered at the end of a manuscript of works of Gregory Nazianzen a text of the 10th century in Old German, the Ludwigslied, which commemorates the victory of the Frankish army of Louis III over the Normans on 3 August 881 at the Battle of Saucourt-en-Vimeu. This text is now considered one of the oldest written examples of the German language. The same manuscript, now held at the municipal library of Valenciennes, was found to contain one of the earliest literary texts in vernacular French, theSequence of Saint Eulalia. The Annales sancti Amandi, a set of annals of the Frankish kingdom, also originate from Saint-Amand.

Abbey of Our Lady of Bec 25.3.1978

Bec Abbey, formally the Abbey of Our Lady of Bec (French: Abbaye Notre-Dame du Bec), is a Benedictine monastic foundation in the Eure département, in the Bec valley midway between the cities of Rouen and Bernay. It is located in Le Bec Hellouin, Normandy, France, and was formerly the most influential abbey of the 12th-century Anglo-Norman kingdom.

Like all abbeys, Bec maintained annals of the house but uniquely its first abbots also received individual biographies, brought together by the monk of Bec, Milo Crispin. Because of the abbey's cross-Channel influence, these hagiographic lives sometimes disclose historical information of more than local importance.

Thank you Merja.

The Royal Monastery of Brou 20.11.1976

The Royal Monastery of Brou is a religious complex located at Bourg-en-Bresse in the Ain département, central France. It is composed of monastic buildings and a church, which were built at the beginning of the 16th century by Margaret of Austria, daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands. The complex was designed as a dynastic burial place in the tradition of the Burgundian Champmol and Cîteaux Abbey, and the French Saint-Denis. The church is known as the Église Saint-Nicolas-de-Tolentin de Brou in French.

These two stamps were issued as part of the Red Cross Series. The Cover has a depiction of the Nativity scene.

The church was built between 1506 and 1532 in a lavishly elaborate Flamboyant Gothic style, with some classicizing Renaissance aspects. The tall roof is covered in coloured, glazed tiles. Margaret, her second husband Philibert II, Duke of Savoy, and his mother, Margaret of Bourbon, are all buried in tombs by Conrad Meit within the church, which have avoided the destruction that most royal tombs in France have suffered.

The monastery is the property of the town of Bourg-in-Bresse, which installed the municipal art collection in the buildings in 1922. The museum presents religious statues of the 13th to 17th centuries on the ground floor, and a collection of paintings of the 16th to the 20th centuries on the upper floor.

The church and monastery have been classed as a monument historique since 1862. The buildings are in the care of the French state, and are managed by the Centre des monuments nationaux.

Thank you Merja.

Painted Churches of the Byzantine Era 27.4.1987

In the region of the Mounts of Troodos, in the heart of Cyprus, can be found one of the greatest concentrations of churches and monasteries in the Byzantine Empire, by which the island was annexed during the conquest of 965. The complex of ten monuments included on the World Heritage List, all richly decorated with murals, provides an overview of Byzantine and post-Byzantine painting in Cyprus. They range from small churches, whose rural architectural style is in stark contrast to their highly refined decoration, to monasteries such as that of St John Lampadistis.

The three stamps on this cover are part of a nine stamp series highlighting the famous painted churches of the Troodos mountain area. 

These churches have been put in the World Heritage list in 1985. The churches shown on these stamps are The Church of the Archangel Michael or St. Michael's Church, Pedoula (1474). The next one is St. Nicholas Church, Steyis (11th century) and finally the St. Mary's Church, Arakas (1192), they are part of a nine stamp set.

Merja, These are really a wonderful set of stamps on this FDC.

Monasteries Of Bhutan

Bhutan Post issued four stamps on “Monasteries of Bhutan” celebrating the “Birth Anniversary of His Majesty the King” on November 11, 2005.  These stamps were released on 11.11.2006.  Shashi gave me this nice FDC.

Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest) is one of the most sacred monasteries in Bhutan.  It is perched on a rocky cliff at 2600 feet (800 meters) above the Paro Valley and was built by the fourth Druk Desi, Gyalse Tenzin Rabgye in 1692.

Kichu Monastery Kichu Monastery is one of Bhutan’s most sacred monasteries dating from the introduction of Buddhism in the 7^thcentury.  Located in Paro, it is the oldest monastery in the country built by the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo in 659 A.D.  

Kurjey MonasteryLocated in the beautiful valley of Bumthang, Kurjey is a complex of three temples, beneath a giant cypress tree.  The main temple was built in 1652 by Minjur Tempa, Trongsa Penlop.  This temple houses the cave where Guru Rinpoche had left his body imprint visible on the rock while meditating during the 8^th century to subdue the local deities. 

Jambay Monastery Jambay Monastery is believed to have been built on the same day as the Kichu Monastery in Paro by the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo in 59 A.D.  The central figure in the sanctuary is the statue of Jampa, the Buddha of the future.  It was here that Guru Rinpoche conducted his first sermon on Tantric Buddhism for the local ruler of Bumthang, King Sendha Gyap, his family and subjects.  The Monastery is built over a lake in which Guru Rinpoche is said to have hidden many sacred and religious treasures.

Turku Cathedral1.11.1976

The Capitulum Ecclesiae Aboensis was founded in 1276. It was the first administrative office in Finland. The stamp, featuring the Seal of the Cathedral Chapter of Turku (Abo), was issued in 1976 to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the foundation of the Chapter. Seen on the cover is the Seal of the cathedral chapter of Turku from 1442. Chapter (Latin capitulum) designates certain corporate ecclesiastical bodies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Nordic Lutheran churches. The word is said to be derived from the chapter of the rule book: it is a custom under the Rule of Saint Benedict that monks gather daily for a meeting to discuss monastery business, hear a sermon or lecture, or receive instructions from the abbot, and as the meeting begins with a reading of a chapter from the Rule, the meeting itself acquired the name "chapter," and the place where it is held, "chapter house" or "chapter room."

Turku Cathedral is the Mother Church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, and the country's national shrine. It is the central church of the Archdiocese of Turku and the seat of the Archbishop of Finland, Kari Mäkinen. It is also regarded as one of the major records of Finnish architectural history. Considered to be the most important religious building in Finland, the cathedral has borne witness to many important events in the nation's history and has become one of the city's most recognizable symbols. The cathedral is situated in the heart of Turku next to the Old Great Square, by the river Aura. Its presence extends beyond the local precinct by having the sound of its bells chiming at noon broadcast on national radio. It is also central to Finland's annual Christmas celebrations. The cathedral was originally built out of wood in the late 13th century, and was dedicated as the main cathedral of Finland in 1300, the seat of the bishop of Turku. It was considerably expanded in the 14th and 15th centuries, mainly using stone as the construction material. The cathedral was badly damaged during the Great Fire of Turku in 1827, and was rebuilt to a great extent afterwards. This historical cover was given to me by Pia.

St. Etienne Cathedral & the Protestant Temple Neuf in Metz

The First Day Cover displayed was issued to commemorate the 84th FFAP Congress at Metz in France. On Sunday June 12th, the 84th congress of the French Federation of Philatelic Associations brought together representatives of 623 philatelic associations comprising the F.F.A.P. About 250 collections, grouped in 16 different exhibition classes, competed in the Championnat de France de philatélie. The SAMOLUX'11 was also held in Metz on these days. This is the ninth event of the interregional stamp exhibition bringing together collectors from Saarland (Germany), Moselle (France) and Luxembourg. The Metz stamp design is by Claude Andréotto. Since the Nancy congress in 2005, the stamps issued on the occasion of the F.F.A.P. congresses have included an attached commemorative label or vignette with no postal value. In this case, the group shows 3 of the main monuments of the city, the Cathedral of Saint-Etienne, the Temple Neuf and, in the vignette, the Porte des Allemands, a vestige of the old medieval walls. This same building also appears in the first day postmark, also designed by Claude Andréotto. For those interested in more details about he pictures on the stamps, a short brief on them would not be out of place. This stamp and its coupon on the FDC are featuring some emblematic monuments of the city of Metz, the Prefecture of the department of Moselle (Region of Lorraine).

We can indeed see the St. Etienne Cathedral, built from 1220 to 1522, nicknamed the "Lantern of God" because of its impressive stained-glass surface (6,500 m², a record in France !). Saint Étienne de Metz (French for Saint Stephen of Metz), also known as Metz Cathedral) is a Gothic, Catholic cathedral in the city of Metz, capital of Lorraine, France. It is the cathedral of the Catholic Diocese of Metz and the seat of the Bishop of Metz.

To the right on the same stamp and attached to it is a coupon, which depicts the Rhine architecture's Protestant Temple Neuf, inaugurated in 1904 by German Emperor Wilhelm II.
The cathedral is sometime nicknamed the Good Lord's lantern as it possesses the largest expanses of stained glass windows in the world with 6,500 m² (70,000 sq ft). The stained glass windows include works of Hermann von Münster (14th C); Théobald of Lixheim and Valentin Bousch (16th C); Laurent-Charles Maréchal (19th C); Roger Bissière, Jacques Villon and Marc Chagall (20th C). Its nave, 41.41 meters high, is one of the highest in France only overtopped by Beauvais Cathedral and Amiens Cathedral, and is the 10th highest nave in the world. Protestant Temple Neuf was built in 1903, under the reign of the Germans in this town. Like many of the border territories in this area of France, the control of political power has swung between Berlin and Paris for many centuries, making it a place with a multi-cultural feel. This church is a perfect example of that, designed in an obvious Rhenish style; the neo-Romanesque finish is typical of Protestant churches that were built across Germany in the early 20th Century.
This wonderful First Day Cover was given to me by my dear friend Maria.