This series, issued on November 20, 1995, was the first part of a Vatican philatelic project titled, "Towards the Holy Year 2000." Beginning with this series and continuing to the Holy Year 2000, Vatican City released six stamp issues, each consisting of four stamps commemorating episodes in the early life of Jesus Christ.
The designs, taken from illuminated manuscripts preserved by the Vatican Apostolic Library, are as follows:
400-lire - Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, from the writings of Johannes of Ienzenstein, Vaticano Latino 1122, f. 171r (fourteenth century)
850-lire - Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, from the Breviarum of Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, Urbinate Latino 112, f.38r (1487)
1,250-lire - The Flight into Egypt, from a Book of Hours, Reginense Latino 165, f.32r (fourteenth - fifteenth century)
2,000-lire - Jesus among the Teachers, from Peter Lombard's Book of Sentences, Vaticano Latino 681, f.184r (fourteenth century)
The inscription VERSO L'ANNO SANTO DEL 2000 is printed along the right side of each stamp. The Papal Tiara and Crossed Keys, the words CITTA DEL VATICANO, and the value are printed at the bottom.
The stamps are vertical, measure 28.56 x 39.23 mm, and have a perforation of 11 3/4. They were printed on white, chalky paper in multicolor and gold rotogravure and were issued in sheets of twenty. Helio Courvoisier S.A. of Switzerland printed 450,000 complete series.
