Stamp of the Organ of the Dome of Toruń

This article features a Polish stamp of the organ of the Dome of Torun. It is one in a series of Polish stamps that depict historic organs that were made between 2015 and 2019. These stamps are beautiful photographs of these magnificent organs, here seen in a souvenir sheet that shows more of the church in which it sits.

Organ stamps are pretty common. These instruments are large and expensive and as such are typically the pride of a local congregation, city, region, or even country. In addition, organs can be in use for hundreds of years, making them symbols of a local place. You can learn more about organ stamps here. Also, check out articles about organ stamps from France, Germany, the Philippines, and Mexico, among others.

Cathedral of Toruń

The Church of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist in Toruń, Poland, also known as the Dome of Toruń, dates to the thirteenth century. The city of Toruń is in north century Poland and dates back to an eighth century settlement. It is one of the oldest cities in the country.

The first church on the site is from the thirteenth century. A larger structure replaced this small church in the fourteenth century. The building continued to be enlarged, reaching its current size by the end of the fifteenth century. The interior of the red-brick Gothic structure has ornate decoration. Perhaps most famously, Nicolaus Copernicus may have been baptized using the thirteenth century font inside.

Of course, of great interest to me is the famous church bell in the tower. It is one of the largest church bells in Poland and was cast in 1500. It even has a name Tuba Dei.

The Organ

The cathedral is home to two impressive pipe organs. The larger, main organ for the church is from 1878. However, the organ that appears on the stamp is a smaller instrument from 1688. Its builder is unknown, but the instrument replaced an even older organ that may have been made in the 15th century. This instrument has undergone extensive restoration and renovation over the centuries. Following World War II, the organ was in need of extensive repair. The case was restored in 1979 and then from 1981 until 1983 the internal mechanism was repaired and restored to its original disposition.

The current organ list for this small seventeenth century organ is as follows:

The Stamp

The stamp of the organ from the Dome of Toruń is from the Historic Organs series of Polish stamps. It became available on June 21, 2019. The beautiful commemorative stamp is in multicolors. The souvenir sheet seen above shows more of the cathedral surroundings. The stamp bears the value of 6.60 Polish złoty.

Incredibly, I was able to find a video of this organ in use! Enjoy