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Across the world, people’s devotion to Saint Anthony is huge and expressed in amazing ways: prayers, images, pilgrimages... and even postage stamps! And philately is, in fact, the topic of the second of the four books by our dear subscriber Ferdinando Luise (from Megliadino San Vitale, Padua), who for years has been studying anything bearing the image of the Saint.
Let’s start from the words.
The word philately comes from the Greek philéo (“to love”) and atelia (“no tax”, exempt from postal tax). Originally, stamps were used to prove that the delivery service had been paid, and in English “frank” (early 18th century, “free of obligation”) is an official mark or signature on a letter or parcel, indicating that postage has been paid or does not need to be paid.
For practical reasons, multiple stamps are printed on the same sheet and are separated by a series of tiny holes around the edges, so they can be torn apart easily.
In the early days of postal service, images on stamps were mostly of kings and queens, who were keen on showing their image to a wide audience. With time, stamps also started commemorating famous people, historical events, monuments, and cultural symbols.
As for Saint Anthony, three interesting things are worth mentioning:
• Portugal, in 1895, on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of his birth, was the first country to dedicate a beautiful and vast series of postage stamps to Saint Anthony. A fair homage to the Saint who was born in Lisbon.
• In philately, as in marcophily, Saint Francis of Assisi is the most represented saint. However, Saint Anthony is... just one “sticker” behind, considering the number of stamps that have been dedicated to him across the world.
• Saint Anthony’s many attributes (thaumaturge, protector, “casamenteiros”, he who helps find lost objects…) include protector of the mail, an odd and fascinating title, perfectly in tune with the postal world.
Anyone wishing to communicate with Mr Ferdinando Luise can contact the Universal Association of Saint Anthony (via email, telephone, or WhatsApp) and will be put in contact with the author.
The Editorial Office
In the image above: On the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the Walk of Saint Anthony (2022), the Vatican issued this stamp printed on a sheet (i.e. as part of a larger image).
