On March 25, 1995, Vatican City issued a series of four stamps and a souvenir sheet commemorating the seventh centenary of the Shrine of the Holy House of Loreto. On December 10, 1994, Pope John Paul II made a pilgrimage to the shrine. There he concluded the process of the "Great Prayer for Italy and with Italy," which began at the tomb of St. Peter in the Vatican on March 15, 1994. On the same day, the Holy Father opened the celebrations of the seventh centenary of the Shrine of Loreto.
The designs feature artwork from the Shrine of Loreto. The 2500-lire stamp depicts a music making angel, a detail from the vault of the Sacristy of St. John, by Luca Signorelli.
The stamps are vertical in format, measure 34.45 x 41.10 mm and have a perforation of 11 3/4 x 11 1/2. They were issued in sheets of twenty. The inscription VII CENTENARIO DEL SANTUARIO DELLA SANTA CASA DI LORETO appears along the side of the stamps, and CITTA DEL VATICANO and the value appear at the bottom. The Papal Tiara and Crossed Keys appear in the lower left corner of the illustration.
Reference:
Helio Courvoisier S.A. of Switzerland printed 450,000 complete sets and 300,000 souvenir sheets.
