Magyar Posta is continuing the presentation of Hungarian saints and blesseds in 2019. On this occasion the numbered souvenir sheet honours the martyrs of Kassa: Saint Mark, Saint Melchior and Saint Stephen. Together with the standard edition, a special edition using gold and silver ink and a likewise numbered black print limited edition are also being released. The new issue was designed by the graphic artist Imre Benedek and produced by ANY Security Printing Company.
On 7 September 1619, 400 years ago, three priests who refused to abjure the Catholic faith died a martyr’s death inKassa (today Košice, Slovakia) at the hands of Prince Gábor Bethlen’s hajduks. They were Marko Krizin, thecanon of Esztergom and archdeacon of Komárom, whowas of Croatian origin, and two Jesuit priests, the PolishMelchior Grodziecki and the Hungarian Stephen Pongrácz.The beatification of the three martyrs was proposed byPéter Pázmány, the archbishop of Esztergom, as early as 1628, but they were only beatified during the papacy of Pius X in 1905. They were canonised by Pope John Paul IIin Košice on 2 July 1996. Their feast day is celebrated bythe Church on the day of their martyrdom, 7 September.
The Hungarian Saints and Blesseds VII special stamp set includes the standard, special and monochrome philatelic editions of the special souvenir sheet. The last of these may only be purchased in this compilation.
