Sovereign Military Hospitaller
Order of St John of Jerusalem of
Rhodes and of Malta

First day of issue postmark – The Cardinalis Patronus

On the occasion of the issue of a postage stamp dedicated to the Cardinalis Patronus of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the Poste Magistrali counter located inside the Magistral Palace in Rome, with public entrance from Via delle Carrozze 79, will use a special postmark on 22nd September 2023.

The stamp, created by Giancarlo Federico, depicts the coat of arms of His Most Reverend Eminence Cardinal Gianfranco Ghirlanda, Cardinalis Patronus of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta. The postmark is completed by the inscriptions “SOVRANO MILITARE ORDINE DI MALTA”, “POSTE MAGISTRALI”, “GIORNO DI EMISSIONE”,  “CARDINALIS PATRONUS” and the date “22.IX.2023”.

Items for reposting, individually franked by the sender with stamps belonging to the relevant set, must reach the Poste Magistrali office by 22nd November 2023. A suitable self-addressed envelope, bearing the Order of Malta stamps corresponding to the ordinary (Posta4) or priority (Posta1) postal rate in force in Italy, must be enclosed for the postmarked items to be returned under cover. For any return by registered mail, please contact Poste Magistrali in advance.

Items to be returned uncovered must reach Poste Magistrali by 6th October 2023 and must be individually marked as “Corrispondenza filatelica” (Philatelic correspondence) on the address side in indelible ink. Should this indication be missing, it will be applied by Poste Magistrali.