Częstochowa icon on a postage stamp
The image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Poland, in her Jasna Góra image, is featured on a Polish Post stamp, concluding the "Patrons of Poland" series. The issue will be officially launched at Jasna Góra on May 3rd of this year.
This year's stamp, designed by Bożydar Grozdew, follows the convention of the entire series, which began in 2018 with the image of St. Stanislaus Kostka. The stamp features the 17th-century miraculous image of Mary from Jasna Góra in a brilliant and diamond robe, wearing crowns that were a gift from Pope John Paul II in 2005. The FDC envelope features a 19th-century view of the Pauline Monastery at Jasna Góra, based on an engraving by Maksymilian Cerch, and the date stamp features an image of Our Lady of Jasna Góra with a replica of the crown donated by Pope Clement XI in 1717.
As part of the series presenting all the main patrons of Poland, stamps were issued with Saint Stanislaus Kostka (2018), Saint Adalbert (2019), Saint Andrew Bobola (2020) and Saint Stanislaus of Szczepanów, bishop and martyr (2021).
Long-standing tradition linked the creation of the image of Our Lady of Jasna Góra to St. Luke, but recent research has shown that the painting was created in the Balkans in the second half of the 13th century. It was painted in tempera on linden boards covered with canvas and primed. It measures 121.8 cm in height and 81.3 cm in width. The image depicts Mary holding the Child Jesus in her arms and was created in the Hodegetria (Greek for "Showing the Way") style. In 1384, the painting was brought from Hungary to Poland by St. Hedwig of Anjou and given to the Pauline Fathers at Jasna Góra. After the attack on the sanctuary in 1430, characteristic scratches remained on the image – on the Virgin Mary's cheek and neck. Since the 17th century, the image has been adorned with crowns on the temples of Mary and the Child, and decorated with votive robes made of precious jewels deposited at Jasna Góra as votive offerings. After the miraculous defense of the monastery in 1655 and the Lviv vows of King John II Casimir the following year, the Jasna Góra image became a representation of Mary, Queen of Poland. In 1717, the image was solemnly crowned with papal crowns from Pope Clement XI.
About the stamp:
Designer: Bożydar Grozdew
Number of stamps: 1
Sales sheet: 9 stamps
Value: PLN 8
Circulation: 117,000 pcs
Printing technique: offset
Stamp format: 43 x 31.25 mm
Paper: fluorescent
Date of introduction into circulation: May 3, 2022
second publishing form: 1 stamp with tag
value: PLN 8
circulation: 9,000 pcs
printing technique: offset
stamp format: 43 x 31.25 mm
tag format: 43 x 31.25 mm
paper: fluorescent