St. Engelbert Kolland 18.12.2024

On 20 October 2024, the martyr Engelbert Kolland, originally from the Zillertal valley in Tyrol, was canonised by Pope Francis.

Born as Michael Kolland in 1827 in Ramsau am Ziller, Kolland attended the archiepiscopal grammar school in Salzburg before joining the Franciscan Order, where he took the religious name Engelbert. In 1851, he was ordained a priest. Having studied Arabic among other subjects, he was sent as a missionary to the Holy Land in 1855. In 1860, violence broke out against Christians in Damascus, where Kolland was active. He was captured and, refusing to renounce his faith, was martyred. In 1926, he was beatified alongside his fellow martyrs, with his canonisation following in 2024. The Garnet Chapel, shaped like a crystal, on Tyrol’s Penken mountain is dedicated to his memory. The stamp design features a portrait of Kolland on glass, created by Tyrolean glass artist Peter Sporer. A postcard set, accompanied by a bilingual brochure for the Jubilee Year 2025, also honours Kolland’s canonisation.

Value: 1.50 euros
First day of issue: 24.01.2025
Pre-issue day: 17.01.2025
First day: 6284 Ramsau im Zillertal 
Stamp size: 29.47 x 42.00 mm
Perforation measurement: 13½ x 13¼
Graphic design: Kirsten Lubach 
Printing: Cartor Security Printers 
Printing technique: Offset printing
Quantity: 170,000 stamps on sheets of 50 units each

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