Christmas 2010 – Slovakia

Slovakia post issued a Christmas stamp featuring the painting Birth of Christ placed in the shape of letter P at the Town Museum in Bratislava.

Liturgical manuscript of the Bratislava missal I from the beginning of the 14th century is preserved in several fragments. It can be found in the Bratislava Archive, in the Town Museum in Bratislava and in the St. Adalbert Association in Trnava. Originally having 366 sheets, nowadays there are 303 altogether. There are painted figural illuminations mainly as initials with biblical motifs on some of these parchment sheets of the Codex.

One of these paintings, on the parchments sheets in the Town Museum, is the Nativity initial. The scene is placed in the shape of letter P. This is initial of the text Peur natus est… (Baby boy was born). Simple notation above the text reveals that it is a Christmas song which was integrated to the liturgical codex. Baby Jesus – stiffly lying, wrapped in a napkin with distinctive gloriole on his head is dominating the scene. Jesus is accompanied with an ass, calf and two angels pointing to the star on the golden background of the miniature picture.

Title: Christmas 2010 – Slovakia
Date of Issue: 12 November 2010
Country: Slovakia
Denominations: 0.40 €