Postage stamp marking 350th anniversary of Mkhitar Sebastatsi issued as Armenia-Vatican joint release

A postage stamp dedicated to the theme “Armenia-Vatican Joint Issue: 350th Anniversary of the Birth of Mkhitar Sebastatsi” was put into circulation at the National Academy of Sciences.

Secretary General of Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Davit Karapetyan thanked partners from the Holy See for the joint issuance of the postage stamp.

“This provides a good basis for demonstrating the level of partnership we have with the Holy See. It also reflects very well the ties and opportunities that exist between our two states. We want this postage stamp to have as long a life as possible,” Karapetyan said.

The Apostolic Nuncio to Armenia, His Excellency Archbishop Ante Jozić, noted that the issuance of the postage stamp was one example of close cooperation between Armenia and the Vatican, particularly Vatican City State, Vatican Post and HayPost.

He recalled that the Mekhitarist Congregation is itself marking the 326th anniversary of its foundation this year and continues to be one of the most important cultural bridges between Armenia and the Catholic Church.

“This religious congregation of preachers is dedicated to raising the educational and spiritual level of the Armenian people, drawing on the examples of the Western Church. Faced with numerous complex challenges, Abbot Mkhitar of Sebaste urged the Republic of Venice to move the congregation to the island of San Lazzaro and build a monastery there so that he could continue his mission with the Mekhitarist brothers.

“Today, as we commemorate the 350th anniversary of Mkhitar Sebastatsi and his ecclesiastical service as a discerning spiritual leader, we support the Mekhitarist Congregation in becoming a strong bridge of faith, literature and culture that connects the Armenian people more closely with the Holy See,” Archbishop Jozić said.

He expressed hope that the issuance of the postage stamp would remain an enduring testimony to a new and important milestone of historical, cultural and civic significance in the friendly relations between the Holy See and the Republic of Armenia, the first Christian country.

“The same ceremony is taking place at this moment in the Vatican as well, and thanks to this event our joint postage stamps will travel around the world, spreading the traditional, moral and family values of your country, to which Abbot Mkhitar remained faithful and which he preached while proclaiming the Good News of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

“May the cancellation of this special postage stamp bearing the dual postmarks of Yerevan and the Vatican transform an ordinary postal instrument into an enduring historical testimony and bear witness to our collective commitment to preserving the friendly ties, academic heritage and historical achievements that define our enduring relations,” Archbishop Jozić said.

President of the Armenian Association of Philatelists Hovik Musayelyan noted that Christianity is one of the most widely recognised themes in philately and that millions of people around the world collect postal envelopes, postcards and stamps dedicated to Christianity.

“For philatelists, it is highly symbolic today that a postage stamp is being issued through the joint efforts of the Vatican and Armenia. Vatican Post is one of the world’s most prestigious postal services and issues stamps dedicated to the most memorable events. There are many postcards, envelopes and stamps in the Vatican dedicated to Armenian themes. In doing so, the Vatican honours a people who were the first in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion,” Musayelyan said.

He recalled that stamps and postcards marking the 1,700th anniversary of Armenia’s adoption of Christianity had also been issued in the Vatican, as had stamps dedicated to the visits of Popes John Paul II and Francis to Armenia.

The postage stamp, with a face value of 380 drams, depicts Mkhitar Sebastatsi — a political, public and cultural figure, Armenologist and founder of the Mekhitarist Congregation — against the background of an engraving of the island of San Lazzaro.

The stamp was cancelled by Armenia’s Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry and Artificial Intelligence Gevorg Mantashyan; Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Davit Karapetyan; Armenian National Assembly MP Arayik Harutyunyan; Apostolic Nuncio to Armenia, His Excellency Archbishop Ante Jozić; Archbishop Gevorg Noratunkyan, head of the Armenian Catholic Church in Armenia, Georgia and Eastern Europe; HayPost CEO Shushan Aleksanyan; and President of the Armenian Association of Philatelists Hovik Musayelyan.