The Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society is the oldest scientific and humanitarian organization in Russia.
The society was founded on May 21, 1882, on the feast day of Saints Constantine and Helen. The first chairman was the Grand Duke Sergei Romanov. In 1889, the society got the honorary name “Imperial”.
February 4, 1905, after the death of the Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov, the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society was headed by his widow, the Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna Romanova.
In March, 2012 the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society got the gratitude from the President of the Russian Federation for its contribution to the preservation and promotion of cultural and historical heritage of Russia in the Holy Land, strengthening friendship and cooperation between nations.
Stamp depicts Saint Martyr Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna, the sign of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society and Sergey House in Jerusalem; an eastern landscape and a caravan going to the city are depicted in the margin.
An illustrated cover has been prepared for the release with a souvenir sheet and a first day cover with cancellation (Moscow).
Artist: V.A. Nikonov.
Design: A. Ivanov.
Face value: 20 RUB each postal stamp.
Size of souvenir sheet: 127 × 92 mm, size of stamps in the sheet: 37 × 48 mm.
Circulation: 70 thousand souvenir sheets.