A series of stamps titled “Camino Podolico - part of the first European Cultural Route” was solemnly presented in Vinnytsia. The event took place on St. James' Day, which falls on July 25 in the Gregorian calendar, on the occasion of the Council of Europe's confirmation of the certification of the St. James Way of Podillya as part of the Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim Routes.
The souvenir block of stamps, presented by Vinnytsia City Council in cooperation with Ukrposhta, depicts the nine most popular sights along the route from Vinnytsia to Kamianets-Podilskyi. The individual stamps and postcards featured an image of the sculpture of St. James near the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Angels in Vinnytsia, which is the starting point of the Camino Podolico route. Every pilgrim who starts their journey from Vinnytsia, the easternmost official point of the Saint James Way in Europe, departs from here.
It was here, near the sculpture of the apostle, that the presentation and cancellation ceremony of the stamp “Camino Podolico - part of the first European cultural route” took place on July 25.
The stamp was presented by Deputy Mayor of Vinnytsia Andriy Ocheretnyi, Mayor of Bar Volodymyr Savoliuk, Deputy Mayor of Kamianets-Podilskyi Dmytro Nazarenko, Secretary of the Custody of the Friars Minor Capuchin in Ukraine Brother Konstantyn Morozov, and Director of Network Development of the Vinnytsia Region of Ukrposhta Oksana Shabanova.
Together, they cancelled the stamp with a special postmark “City of ideas” and signed the envelopes. The event was also attended by coordinators and activists of the Camino Podolico.
“For a year now, Ukraine has been a full member of the European Federation of Saint James Way with the right to vote. And recently, it has also become a part of the cultural route certified by the Council of Europe. This is a recognition of the whole of Ukraine as a capable country in the cultural, spiritual, and tourist senses. We already have plans to continue our route further west to connect the Camino Podolico with European routes. This is another step that Ukraine is taking to become a full member of the European family at a time when our soldiers are fighting for our independence and peaceful future in the whole continent,” said Andriy Ocheretnyi, Deputy Mayor of Vinnytsia, in his welcoming speech.
Secretary of the Custody of the Friars Minor Capuchin in Ukraine Kostyantyn Morozov, said that “the fact that Ukrainians are accepted into this family during the war is also a sign that God has not forgotten about us.” He drew attention to the fact that this year's route also includes active and former military personnel and their families.
“Completely different people have been walking this route for a thousand years: believers, non-believers, agnostics... The road accepts you as you are, adapts to your pace, and actually leads you. And there is such an interesting experience that this road heals some wounds. Because in order for our life to be better, new, we need new thinking, new thoughts, new experiences. In our context, this is what we all need, because we are all wounded by the war. I wish everyone to feel this encounter with ourselves, this encounter with the road, this encounter with grace on these paths,” said Brother Konstantyn.
The highlight of the ceremony was a maxicard depicting the Vinnytsia sculpture of St. James at the starting point of the Camino Podolico. This postcard with a thematic postage stamp on the front and a stamp with the signatures of all the participants of the ceremony will be sent by mail from Vinnytsia to Santiago de Compostela in Spain - to the Galician Tourism Agency and the headquarters of the European Federation of Saint James Way. Thereby, it will cover 4625 kilometers.
All interested can also order a block of stamps, envelope, single stamp, and postcards with the sculpture of St. James until August 16. This can be done through the Vinnytsia Tourism Office (by phone or email). Detailed information on ordering and delivery within Ukraine and abroad is available on the Visit Vinnytsia and Camino Podolico websites.
Reference:
Camino Podolico: The St. James Way of Podillya is a cultural and pilgrimage route from Vinnytsia to Kamianets-Podilskyi via Bar, modeled after the St. James Way, which runs through Europe and leads to the city of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. The route connects 14 points in Vinnytsia and Khmelnytskyi regions: Vinnytsia, Hnivan, Brailiv, Zhmerynka, Severynivka, Bar, Yaltushkiv, Vinkivtsi, Zinkiv, Maliivtsi, Dunaivtsi, Makiv, Kamianets-Podilskyi and other picturesque towns and villages of Podillya.
Vinnytsia City Council, as the coordinator of the Camino Podolico, was officially accepted into the European Federation of St. James Way at the organization's General Assembly in June 2023. As a result of the successful completion of the Council of Europe's certification cycle, the status of the Camino Podolico route as part of the European cultural route Camino de Santiago was confirmed in May 2024.
__________________________
Block of stamps – 14,50 €/item
Single stamp – 2,20 €/item
Envelope – 2,20 €/item
Card – 0,70 €/item
Maxicard – 3,30 €/item
Delivery in Ukraine:
Nova Post, Ukrposhta
International delivery:
Meest
Contacts for ordering:
+380 96 775 67 95 (Viber, WhatsApp, Telegram),
vinnytsia.tourism@gmail.com
(specify the name and number of units)
Payment details:
ME Vinnytsia Tourism Office
USREOU code: 41204225
IBAN: UA193204780000026000924426717
Name of the bank: JSB Ukrgasbank
MFI: 320478
Payment purpose: for postal products