In the centre of the sheetlet, bordered by perforations, is the original icon of Our Lady of Philermos, kept at the National Museum of Art in Cetinje, Montenegro.

The icon, venerated for centuries as the protectress of the Knights of St. John, disappeared during the Second World War and was presumed lost. Its rediscovery is due to the determination of Italian scholar Giovannella Bertè Ferraris di Celle who, after extensive research, confirmed its presence in Cetinje, where the icon had been secretly preserved.

This image of the Mother of God is still today a symbol of the Marian spirituality of the Order of Malta and an emblem of its historical events. Knights and dames of the Order continue to invoke her as their protectress, celebrating her solemnly on 8 September each year, throughout the world.

The stamp is completed by the inscriptions “SOVRANO MILITARE ORDINE DI MALTA”, “POSTE MAGISTRALI”, the emblem of the Order’s activities and the face value “€ 3,00”.

The sheetlet also bears the heading at the top centre on two lines: “SOVRANO MILITARE ORDINE DI MALTA”, “POSTE MAGISTRALI” and below, the caption, on two lines “ICONA DELLA MADONNA DEL FILEREMO, Museo Nazionale di Arte, Cetinje, Montenegro”.

Credits: courtesy of the Administration for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Montenegro and the National Museum of Art, Cetinje, Montenegro.