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Royal Mail’s 2024 Christmas stamps feature some of the many spectacular cathedrals in the UK, with the remaining four completing the set being Liverpool, Armagh, Bangor and Westminster.
The stamps were illustrated by Penzance-based, British artist, Judy Joel, whose popular paintings have been sold worldwide over the last 50 years.
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The Very Revd John Conway, Provost of St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh, said: “It is an honour for our wonderful Cathedral to feature on the stamp this Christmas. George Gilbert Scott’s magnificent building continues to inspire and amaze its many visitors, as well as those who are fortunate to call it their spiritual home.
“Cathedrals are never more alive than at Christmas, and the painting featured on the stamp conjures those special moments. We look forward to welcoming the people of Edinburgh and beyond, to our celebrations once again this Christmas.”
David Gold, Director of External Affairs and Policy at Royal Mail, said: “We are delighted that St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh, features on our Special Christmas Second Class stamp. Cathedrals are a hugely significant part of our cultural heritage and play an important role in local communities.
“They also offer space for peaceful reflection and a bit of an escape from the challenges of daily life, which can be especially important at Christmas.”
George Gilbert Scott’s neo-Gothic design was the winner of an architectural competition for a new cathedral, and St Mary’s was built in the West End of Edinburgh’s New Town between 1874 and 1879.
From the floor to the tip of its imposing central spire, it is the tallest building in Edinburgh and one of three cathedrals in the city, alongside the 12th-century St Giles Cathedral (now Church of Scotland) and the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St Mary’s.
Since its earliest days, St Mary’s has been synonymous with a vibrant choral tradition, and today it remains the only place in Scotland to hold regular mid-week and Sunday choral services. It is open every day as a place of prayer, sanctuary, peace and silence.
To celebrate the new millennium, the renowned Edinburgh artist Eduardo Paolozzi was commissioned to design a new stained-glass window for the South Transept. This is Paolozzi’s only work in stained glass and on sunny days it produces a wonderfully colourful dappling effect in the interior.
The cathedral is at the heart of Edinburgh’s Christmas celebrations, with the Services of Nine Lessons and Carols attracting over a thousand people on 22 and 24 December, and many other services and events celebrating the birth of Christ.
