St. Mary of the Snow

Hi ! The Olympics 2008 have concluded with the spectacular and most magnificent closing ceremony at Beijing. Hope you enjoyed all the Posts on Olympics. Now back to some beautiful new issues on various themes by the Postal Administrations of the world. Today's Post is on Mary of the Snow issued by Poland on 21 June 2008. The picture on FDC will give you a shivering look with the beautiful view of snow covered church. The same view, we experience here in winters with lot of snowfall making surrounding white all over. But this time in August- September months it is very hot and humid in most parts of India despite heavy rains. Just have a cool philatelic experience with this beautiful issue. In the regular series of Se-tenant stamps some more Joint Issues from the album of Mr. Shrikant Parikh.This is all for today !...... Till Next Post...... Have a Nice Time !......

Date of Issue : 21 June 2008

Sanctuaries of St. Mary - St. Mary of the Snow
In the 25th anniversary of coronation of the figure from St. Mary's of the Snow sanctuary, Poland issued a stamp, featuring the figure kept usually at the top of the Igliczna Mt. church altar. The FDC envelope presents a winter view of that church, while the motif of crowns adorning the figure was used in the postmark.

The Igliczna Mountain Sanctuary
The Igliczna (Needle) Mountain is located in the Sudety Mts., in vicinity of the major peak Śnieżnik (Snowy Mt.). Nearby its top there is the small late baroque church, being a sanctuary of St. Mary Mother of God, the Cause of Our Joy "Mary of the Snow". The pilgrims come here to attend the wooden figure of St. Mary with Holy Child - a folk copy of St. Mary's figure from the Mariazell sanctuary in Austria. The figure had been brought in here in 1750 by Christopher Veit from Wilkanów village, as the changing national borders made the direct pilgrimage Mariazell sanctuary almost impossible for the local people. Originally, the figure was placed under an old beech tree and only fifteen years later, when the tree fell down due to the fierce wind storm, the rescued carving had been enshrined in a specially built wooden chapel. In 1777 the first case of miraculous healing had been documented, followed then by many others. The chapel soon proved to be too small for the ever-growing hosts of pilgrims and the new church had to be erected, consecrated in 1782.

Mary of the Snow

The name of this sanctuary is connected with the legend from early Christianity, according to which in midsummer, on August 5, the snow had fallen in Rome right in place where the first church for Holy Virgin should be built. The sign was earlier heralded by the dream, shared by the pope Liberius and Roman patrician Giovanni (John) who later became a constructor of that church, known as Santa Maria Maggiore as well as Santa Maria della Neve (of the Snow).The church in the Sudety Mts. was named so also because of its mountainous location. Its builders had to work in haste with the first snowfall on their minds.The St. Mary's of the Snow day is celebrated on August 5.

Coronation of the miraculous figure

On June 21, 1983 the sanctuary had been honoured in particular way by pope John Paul II who crowned the figure of St. Mary of the Snow and conferred on her the title "The Cause of Our Joy". The crowning ceremony took place in Wrocław. Although the pope did not visit then the sanctuary on the Igliczna Mt. in person, he used to be there a few times previously in the 50s and 60s as the priest Karol Wojtyła, a great advocate of St. Mary's cult.

From Se-tenant Album of Shrikant Parikh

Theme - Joint Issue

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