Sovereign Military Hospitaller
Order of St John of Jerusalem of
Rhodes and of Malta
Order of St John of Jerusalem of
Rhodes and of Malta
Iconography of the Tetramorph
| On sale | Yes |
| Face value | Souvenir sheet 8,00 € |
| Stamp description | the Fathers of the Church used the Tertamorph, a figurative arrangement of Eastern origin, to place the symbols of the four evangelists – the man, the lion, the ox, the eagle – in a single image. The man was related to Matthew whose Gospel begins by recording the genealogy of Jesus; the Lion to Mark for his time in the desert among the beasts; the Ox to Luke because his Gospel begins with the sacrifice of Zechariah; the Eagle to John for the Prologue of his Gospel. Cover of the Evangeliarium with Christ in Majesty and symbols of the Evangelists. The souvenir sheet reproduces the cover of the Evangeliary in its entirety. On the stamp, the symbols of the four Evangelists arranged outside the almond-shaped clypeus in which the image of Christ in Majesty and the apocalyptic letters Alpha and Beta are inscribed. |
| Date of issue | 23 April 2018. |
| Face values | four € 2.00 stamps in a souvenir sheet for a total of € 8,00. |
| Size | two stamps in the upper side: 35 x 29 mm ; two stamps in the lower side: 30 x 40 mm. |
| Perforation | 35 x 29 mm: 13 ¾ x 13 ¾ ; 30 x 40 mm: 13 ¼ x 13. |
| Souvenir sheet size | 110 x 180 mm. |
| Print run | three thousand numbered souvenir sheets. |
| Printed by | offset. Cartor Security Printing, La Loupe, Francia. |
Latest news
66th International Pilgrimage to Lourdes
On the occasion of the 66th International Pilgrimage to Lourdes of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the Poste Magistrali counter will use on 3 May 2024 the special postmark created for the event.
Poste Magistrali supports the “Philately in prisons” project
Poste Magistrali was present, through the creation of a special postmark, at a significant philatelic event organised last 8 March at the Milan Opera Prison.