This Vatican First Day Cover commemorates the proclamation of the Year of the Rosary (2002) declared by Pope John Paul II. The elaborate color cachet depicts the Pope in full pontifical regalia holding his crucifix staff, while the €0.41 stamp features a medieval Madonna and Child painting. The special pictorial postmark, dated October 16, 2002, shows a profile portrait of John Paul II and celebrates this important Catholic devotional year with multilingual text in Italian, English, and German.
Claude
The cachet features a color photograph of Pope John Paul II in full papal vestments (green and gold mitre and robes) holding a crucifix staff and giving a blessing. The Vatican coat of arms and 'POSTE VATICANE' text appear in the upper left. The stamp (€0.41) depicts a medieval painting of the Madonna and Child with a halo, inscribed 'Città del Vaticano' and dated 2002. A pictorial postmark shows a profile portrait of Pope John Paul II with text 'IO. PAVLVS II ANNVM ROSARII' and 'POSTE VATICANE • 16 OTTOBRE 2002'. Three lines of text at bottom read: 'Indizione dell'Anno del Rosario / Proclamation of the Year of the Rosary / Ausrufung des Jahres des Rosenkranzes'.
Mistral
This First Day Cover commemorates the Year of the Rosary as declared by Pope John Paul II, featuring a colorful cachet with the Pope in full liturgical vestments holding a crucifix staff. The €0.41 stamp depicts a medieval-style painting of the Madonna and Child. The postmark, dated October 16, 2002, includes a profile of Pope John Paul II and multilingual text celebrating the proclamation. The cover is in excellent condition with clear and vibrant artwork.
(The automatic summaries sometimes misidentify the postmark as part of the cachet artwork.)
