Notre Dame de Paris

A beautiful cover from Czech Republic 🇨🇿 with a very significant postmark 

The cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris ("Our Lady of Paris"), part of the "Paris, Banks of the Seine" UNESCO World Heritage Site, was begun in the 12th century. Its walls and interior vaulted ceiling are of stone; its roof and flèche (spire) were of wood (much of it 13th-century oak), sheathed in lead to exclude water. The spire was rebuilt several times, most recently in the 19th century.

Extensive attention had been given to the risk of fire at the cathedral. The Paris Fire Brigadedrilled regularly to prepare for emergencies there, including on-site exercises in 2018; a firefighter was posted to the cathedral each day; and fire wardens checked conditions beneath the roof three times daily.

On 15 April 2019, just before 18:20 CEST, a structure fire broke out beneath the roof of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. By the time it was extinguished, the building's spire and most of its roof had been destroyed and its upper walls severely damaged; extensive damage to the interior was prevented by its stone vaulted ceiling, which largely contained the burning roof as it collapsed. Many works of art and religious relics were moved to safety early in the emergency, but others suffered some smoke damage and some exterior art was damaged or destroyed.

Czech Post in response to fatal damage of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris issued commemorative postmark, which will be in use since April 24-30, 2019. It depicts the Cathedral with a text saying "WE ARE WITH YOU" [= JSME S VÁMI]".

It was truly a very nice gesture of Czech Republic to show their support for the people of France in times of a tragedy ! 

Thanks Radim for this beautiful cover !! 

750th anniversary of Zlata Koruna Monastery 

Date of issue : 03-04-2019

The Zlatá Koruna monastery was founded by the Czech king Přemysl Otakar II. in 1263. The monastery is located about 8 kilometres to the north of Český Krumlov, in the direction of České Budějovice. 

Záviš’ cross 

Date of issue : 29-05-2019

Záviš’ Cross, a two-barred golden cross, has been used as a reliquary since the Early Middle Ages. It was likely created between 1220 and 1230 AD. It is 70 cm high and 28 cm wide. The original height was 44.5 cm but a base made of silver gilded with gold was added to the cross in mid-19th century. The figure of Christ was also added later. Each side of both beams ends with a typical French three-leaf lily (fleur-de-lis). 

For fear of its being seized by the Nazi Germany, the cross was moved before the 1939 annexation of the Sudetenland from the monastery in Vyšší Brod to Prague and deposited in the treasury of St Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle. At the end of the war, the Nazis spirited the cross to the Salzburg salt mines in Austria and hid it among other artefacts from the whole Europe. It was found there by U.S. troops who returned it back to Czechoslovakia. In 2010, the cross was placed on the list of national cultural heritage. Together with the crown jewels and St. Maurus reliquary, it belongs to the most precious gold artefacts in the Czech Republic. It is also one of the top 10 most precious church historical items in the world.