Poste Vaticane is an organization responsible for postal service in Vatican City. The organization is part of the Post and Telegraphy Service.

A mailbox in Vatican City

History

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The Central Office of the Vatican Post after the Gate of St. Anna

The use of stamps was introduced in the Vatican in 1852.[1]

Poste Vaticane was created in 1929 following the Lateran Treaty.[1] It started operations on 1 August 1929[2] (or February 1929). Its yellow mail boxes became iconic in the landscape of the papal city.[1] The Poste Vaticane also handled the state's telegraph communications. The air courier system was set up in 1938. The Poste Vaticane joined the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations in 1965, and PostEurop in 2012.[3]

In 2020, a law was passed to merge the philatelic and postal activities of the Poste Vaticane.[4] In September 2020, the Poste Vaticane released a stamp picturing the coronavirus.[5]

Description

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A Post office of the Poste Vaticane in the Vatican Museums

Poste Vaticane manages the Philatelic and Numismatic Office of the Vatican City State and operates four branch offices. The Poste Vaticane handles 140 tonnes of mail and six million postcards every year.[6]

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In the 1991 movie Hudson Hawk, Bruce Willis and Andie MacDowell walk through a fictional Vatican secret railway platform branded Poste Vaticane.[7][8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "How the Catholic Church helped create postal services". Aleteia — Catholic Spirituality, Lifestyle, World News, and Culture. 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  2. ^ www.vaticanstate.va Home Page of Vatican City State > State and Government > Structure of Governorate The Philatelic and Numismatic Office. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  3. ^ "Poste vaticane/2 La storia in pillole". Vaccarinews (in Italian). Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  4. ^ "Philatelic bureau changes for San Marino and Vatican City". Linns Stamp News. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  5. ^ "Filatelia. Poste Vaticane: un francobollo sui martiri e gli eroi del coronavirus". www.avvenire.it (in Italian). 2020-09-03. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  6. ^ "Promenade insolite dans le centre-ville du Vatican". Aleteia (in French). 2017-08-08. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  7. ^ "Mail Rail: What is it like on the 'secret' Tube?". BBC News. 2014-01-28. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  8. ^ "HUDSON HAWK | British Railway Movie Database". 17 March 2020. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
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  Media related to Post of the Vatican City at Wikimedia Commons