(08-09-2021) VII CENTENARY OF THE DEATH OF DANTE ALIGHIERI - SET

On the occasion of the seventh centenary of the death of the great poet, Vatican Philately will have a special philatelic issue and join the great chorus of all those who wish to honour Dante’s memory. Through his most famous poem, Dante Alighieri showed himself to be “a prophet of hope and a witness to the innate yearning for the infinite present in the human heart”, who “better than most knew how to express with poetic beauty the depth of the mystery of God and love.” The Vatican miniature sheet created for the occasion by artist Gabriele Dell’Otto is inspired by Canto XXIV of Paradise in which the poet is subjected to the examination of faith by Saint Peter. The stamp reproduces the moment in which Dante tries to explain to the Prince of Apostles the fundamental truths of the faith; the margin features the tercet in which the poet describes faith as “spark, Which afterwards dilates to vivid flame, And, like a star in heaven, is sparkling in me” (Par. XXIV, 145-147). Dante’s transparency allows us to catch a glimpse of the spark of faith that expands from the heart to become a burning flame that, like a sparkling star, illuminates the night sky.