day of the stamp - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 1973 - 4 Shilling

The stamp commemorating the Day of the Stamp this year shows the patron saint of the post office and philately, Archangel Gabriel. Scripture mentions three angelic names, including Gabriel, translated from Hebrew: "man of God" or "the strength of God". The archangel is a well-known figure in Jewish, Christian and Islamic cultures. In the Old Testament, he stands on one of the four sides of the throne of God, commanding large numbers of angels from there. In the New Testament he often takes over the role of the messenger of the gods. Among other things, he appears to Mary in order to convey to her the message of the Incarnation of the Redeemer and her election to the Mother. Especially in the Christian world since ancient times, the Archangel Gabriel as a messenger and bringer of a good news, as an angel of the Annunciation is common. Both postal and telegraph employees as well as messengers, newspaper porters and philatelists worship him as patron saint. Building on this, Pope Pius XII. in his Breve of January 12, 1951, made the Archangel Gabriel the heavenly patron of the telecommunications system. 21 years later, on 9 December 1972, Pope Paul VI. the archangel Gabriel also declared for the post office and philately the patron saint. The brand image shows the Archangel Gabriel from the Annunciation Group of Lorenz Luchsperger from the parish church in Wiener Neustadt.