90 lire Cardinal Bessarion single
Object Details
- Description
- On November 28, 1972, Vatican City issued three stamps commemorating Johannes Cardinal Bessarion, the Latin Patriarch of Constantinople, who worked for union of the Greek and Latin churches.
- Johannes Bessarion was born in Trebizond on the Black Sea between 1389 and 1403. He studied in Constantinople. In 1423, he entered the Eastern Rite Order of St. Basil and was sent to Greece to study philosophy. He was made bishop of Nicea in 1436. Bessarion helped heal the schism between the eastern and western rite churches that had existed for four hundred years, even though the reunion was short-lived. Pope Eugenius IV (1383-1487) made him a cardinal, and Bessarion changed from eastern rite to western rite. Nicholas V (1397-1455) made him Legate of Bologna to restore peace in the city, where he rebuilt the University of Bologna. Upon the death of Nicholas V, Bessarion narrowly missed being chosen as pope. Bessarion worked with limited success in helping to negotiate with Muslims and raise support for the crusades. He died in the Abbey of St. John the Evangelist at Ravenna in 1472.
- The 90-lire stamp features a portrait of Cardinal Bessarion from a fresco in the Sistine Chapel painted by Cosimo Roselli.
- The paper is not watermarked and has perforations of 13 1/2 x 14.
- Reference:
- "Fifth Centenary of the Death of Card. Bessarion." Vatican Notes 21, no. 5 (March-April 1973): 8.
- Data Source
- National Postal Museum
- Date
- November 28, 1972
- Object number
- 2008.2026.2
- Type
- Postage Stamps
- Medium
- paper; ink
- Place
- VATICAN CITY (independent city state)
- See more items in
- National Postal Museum Collection
- Title
- Scott Catalogue Vatican City 529
- Topic
- International Stamps & Mail
- Record ID
- npm_2008.2026.2
